Manic Taser Dream Girl
by AnnieMar
Summary: Upon Darcy's return to the U.S. after encountering evil space-elves in London, and after her recent break-up with Ian, she receives her first mission as an official S.H.I.E.L.D. agent ... teaching a god how to blend in better (absolutely no horns), or he might find himself in very big trouble. Events set post-Thor: TDW and during CA: TWS. Rated M for reasons ;-) #tasertricks
1. Chapter 1

**I certainly don't own these characters. It was all just a bit of fun, really.**

**;-)**

Darcy was in the middle of reading a _Walking Dead_ recap on her laptop when Clint Barton came up behind her and said in his usual stern manner, "Director Fury wants to have a word with you, Ms. Lewis."

She jumped out of her chair and almost spilled coffee all over her lap. "You scared me!" She turned around to scold further, realized who it was, and promptly froze. For one, she had just been caught surfing the internet while she was supposed to be working, even though she was at a bit of an impasse for the time being. She was waiting for more information before she could continue her weekly report for Agent Coulson. And for two, she had a wildly inappropriate and devastating crush on Clint, or rather Hawkeye, who happened to be looking absolutely delicious in his black S.H.I.E.L.D. super-assassin-wear that he always donned.

_Damn, he looked fine_, she thought.

Darcy tried to push her nervousness and libido down somewhere deep and out of the way … she took a breath and looked up at him.

"Sure. Wait … why is Directory Fury sending an assassin to come and get me?" She started to panic a little. "What did I do? I promise, I don't surf the web all day, I'm just waiting for some more information from London before I can continue..." He held up a hand to signal that she stop rambling. He was one of the only people that could get her to do that. Get her to stop rambling.

"It's nothing like that, I assure you." He said with the tiniest of smirks on his face. "I just happened to be in a meeting in his office and he asked if someone could come to get you."

A little thrill of excitement ran up Darcy's spine at the thought of Hawkeye volunteering to come and fetch her. Perhaps he wanted to spend a little time with her, get to know her better, show her what incredible aim and control he had …"

"I was the only one who was available for a few minutes." His words shattered the fantasy.

_Oh._

With a flimsy smile she nodded and stood up, picked up her phone and coffee, and followed Barton down the hallway and into the nearest elevator. He pushed the button that would lead up to Fury's floor in S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, which required an authorized hand print for access, something that Darcy definitely didn't have. This was probably another reason that Barton had come to get her … not too many people had the security clearance.

_I'm such a moron_, she thought. _What could he possibly see in me._

"I really like that show you were reading about." He said as they rode to the top floor.

_Was Hawkeye attempting small talk with me?_ Her sense of hope was renewed for a tiny moment.

"Yeah?" She smiled big at him, excited that he spent at least a little time vegging in front of a TV like her, instead of constantly perched hundreds of feet above the ground, ready to shoot someone. "It's my favorite show right now," she opined. "Well, at least until _Game of Thrones_ and _Mad Men_ come back from hiatus. I never really liked zombie stuff before, they always scared the hell out of me, but something about the concept of everyone eventually becoming a zombie since everyone is infected, is just so interesting."

"That's because it's not really about the zombies. It's about the real monsters—us. Humans are the infection." He replied grimly.

_Well that's depressing_, she thought.

In an attempt to lighten the mood she added, "Yeah, and there's also Daryl Dixon, hottest guy in the zombie apocalypse. There's just something crazy sexy about a guy with a cross… ." And with that the elevator reached its destination and opened. She instinctively walked out, expecting Barton to follow her. She turned around and saw that he remained in the elevator, intending to go back down.

She absentmindedly finished her word … "bow."

_Shit, crossbow!_

Darcy instantly realized what she had said, but couldn't see the expression on his face as the doors closed swiftly with a ding and he was swept away to someplace else. Somewhere far away from silly hackers—er, web designers—and off to somewhere much more elite and serious and valid. She never felt like a valid person. She usually felt like a ridiculous person.

"Fuck." She muttered under her breath.

"I'm such a moron."


	2. Chapter 2

Darcy didn't have much time to muse over her embarrassing revelation to Barton for long, as she was instantly ushered by an assistant into Nick Fury's office, where he was waiting for her.

"Miss Lewis." Fury began as he gestured for her to have a seat, exuding authority from his director's chair. He was wearing what appeared to be an official S.H.I.E.L.D black fleece pullover instead of his trademark leather duster that she'd always seen him wear before. Perhaps even leaders of espionage agencies needed to be comfortable from time to time, though he still looked like he could kill a person by cocking an eyebrow, North Face jacket or no.

"Mr. Fury." Darcy said as she sat down, nerves making her jittery. She looked around the office to ground herself and noted that it was very minimalist and yet somehow comfortable. There were several computers and television screens placed at 360 degrees, all of which looked beyond any technology that one could find in an electronics store. He definitely did not get this shit at Best Buy.

"How are you adjusting to life in New York after the London incident?" He inquired.

"Incident? Oh, you mean when evil space-elves came to Earth to destroy the universe?" She said without thinking because her brain was malfunctioning due to nervousness.

Fury nodded but also raised his killer eyebrow in what appeared to be agitation.

Oops. She didn't want to mess this up … she wanted to be on his good side. If he had a good side. It was just that sometimes words came out of her mouth on their own, especially in tense situations.

And it wasn't every day that a lowly science intern was invited into Nick Fury's office, after all. Granted, she'd moved up in the world since re-discovering her love for design, as well as delving into the art of hacking. She was also offered an official position with S.H.I.E.L.D. in her own right, instead of just being an assistant to Jane.

Darcy had recently admitted to herself that neither of her earlier niches of political science or interning for an astrophysicist were particularly interesting. She'd resigned herself to accepting that she was more of a creative "right brain" than a logical "left brain". Being attacked and almost killed by evil space-elves tended to make one take stock and think about what mattered in life, and sciency stuff didn't actually matter to her so much. It mattered to her parents.

She plastered a smile on her face. "New York is great!" She said excitedly. "I love my new apartment, much bigger than our place in London … I swear that city is meant for tiny people. And it's really cool to live _next_ to Jane instead of _with_ Jane. We get along a lot better that way, or rather, I annoy her a lot less … I think. And the city is great … at least, my block is great, it has some awesome take-out joints and a bookshop … haven't had much time to do much exploring beyond that."

"Yes, the life of a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent can be very demanding but it's not without its rewards. I'm glad you find your apartment agreeable." He said, making very official-sounding small talk. She wondered what he wanted and wished he'd just get to the point. She was getting fidgety.

"I'm happy to say that you're doing very good work, Miss Lewis. Your reports are always very knowledgeable and helpful. And you've certainly made our office network a lot prettier and easier to navigate, which was no small feat."

"Thank you, sir." She said, getting weirded out that he was complimenting her. She wasn't used to it.

"But the reason that you're here today is because we want to give you your first big long-term assignment," he revealed.

Nervousness was temporarily set aside for surprised elation.

"Really? Like, my first mission? Do I get any special gadgets? Like an earring lock-pick? A mini-taser that looks like a pen?" Darcy asked, thrilled that S.H.I.E.L.D. had enough trust in her to be in charge of something important, a "long-term assignment" even, as Fury called it.

"Not quite." He said looking vaguely amused, or annoyed … couldn't tell with him. "We need you to be a sort of consultant."

"A consultant?" This was beginning to sound a lot less promising. Figured.

"Yes. A very special sort of consultant, Miss Lewis. As I said before, the life of a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent is very demanding … their work is their life and they don't get much of a chance to interact with the outside world too much, at least in a more traditional sense. We need you because out of any of the other agents in this building, you still seem to be connected to culture, current events, trends, that sort of thing."

"You mean I speak 'normal'?"

"Exactly." He said with a nod. "You understand our culture in ways that most agents do not, or in ways that they've simply forgotten due to the nature and demands of the job."

Darcy thought this seemed odd. Just because she listened to music all day and hung up an Obi-Wan Kenobi poster on the wall by her desk, she was a "culture" expert?

"You are already also associated with Thor," Fury went on. "And you're aware of the existence of Asgard, the Bifrost … the tesseract, that sort of thing."

"And space-elves … can't forget the space-elves." She reminded him.

He ignored her. "Basically, you're already familiar with these phenomena through Jane's research, and Thor calls you a friend. As do others in the Avengers Initiative. Steve Rogers has nothing but good things to say about you."

"So … I don't quite understand, you want me to show Thor how to be a muggle? I think Jane already has that down."

"No, not Thor. We need you to help assimilate his brother. Loki."

_Um. Whaaaaaaat?!_

Darcy shook her head to knock the cobwebs out for surely she had heard wrong, because back in London, Thor had certainly been devastated about the demise of his younger brother.

"WHAT? No way, man. Loki is dead! Please tell me he's dead! Thor cried! Wait, don't tell him I said that." Darcy was pretty sure that he wouldn't want that to be common knowledge … made him less god-like.

Fury looked at her for a few seconds before speaking. "I'm sorry to say this, but he's not dead. He's very much alive and he's very much in big trouble if too many people find out he's here. And when I say "people", I mean otherworldly beings that want him punished, tortured, and dead … so you understand why we want him to keep a low profile."

"Ummmm … Loki." She looked at Fury bewildered, squinting behind her glasses as if it would help her to see the situation better. "The guy that tried to kill Thor? His _brother_? The guy that leveled our little town in New Mexico? Lead a giant evil space-lizard terrorist attack on New York City? You want me to help this guy out? What the hell is he even doing back here?" Darcy realized that she probably shouldn't be questioning Director Fury like this, but she couldn't help it. She was dumbfounded.

"Yes," Fury said, keeping cool, understanding that she was shocked. "Loki did all those things, Miss Lewis, and we will never forget that, but he was also integral in saving our entire universe from the Dark Elves and their power source. He also helped to save Dr. Foster's life. These words feel like vinegar coming out of my mouth, but if it wasn't for Loki … and Thor of course, none of us would be here. I'm not saying he's getting a medal, far from it. But he's proved himself to be … somewhat repentant for his crimes on Earth." Fury said the last part with a slight eye-roll as if he didn't quite believe in Loki's new-found hero status.

Darcy, of course, had heard the whole story from Jane. How Loki and Thor conspired to escape Asgard via flying Viking ship and through a hidden portal to Svartalfheim.

"How do you be _somewhat_ repentant for the shit he did? He tried to take over the world like some kind of idiotic cartoon villain." She remembered seeing reports that included pictures of Loki wearing a ridiculous helmet with obscenely long horns. "All he was missing was the bumbling sidekick."

"That's part of the problem. Loki _was_ the bumbling sidekick. We just never saw the puppet-master," Fury said gravely.

_Okay, that's scary._

"But how is he not dead!?" She was still flabbergasted.

"Miss Lewis, I understand your outrage, I promise you, I do. And when we heard word that he had died, believe me, we were not sad about it. But it seems Loki was only _thought_ dead in Svartalfheim. After his body was supposedly recovered, he showed up back home in the guise of a guard … and then apparently as his father."

"So he faked his death _again_? Thor has believed him dead twice. That's some seriously messed-with emotions right there. Poor guy."

"We're actually not certain if he recovered after Thor believed he had died or if he faked it entirely but he certainly didn't correct people's assumptions." Fury got up and started walking around in his Fury way to dramatically explain himself further.

"After Odin was told the news that they'd found a body in the Dark World and that it was Loki, he fell into what they call "Odinsleep" … which as it was explained to me is a restorative self-induced comatose state. The death of his wife and son, as well as Thor's treason, were just too much for him." He stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows with his hands clasped behind his back and continued, "long story short … after Odin awakened to find Loki acting as king in his stead, he was both relieved that his son was alive and furious about his impersonations. He released Loki from prison for his role in saving the nine realms, but also banished him from Asgard for his deception, declaring that the same punishment would be meted out to him that he once manipulated into happening for Thor."

"So Loki has been banished to Earth?"

"Yes. And so has Thor, for the time being."

"Thor is back?" She asked. Jane would be over the moon.

"Yes, both of them are here … Odin having sent them, thinking that for some reason Earth is nothing more than a half-way house for wayward princes. They're currently staying in the building until we finalize plans for them."

"What was Thor banished for this time?"

"He was cast out for his treason."

"That doesn't make any sense. Thor was the one who saved the whole universe. He killed the big bad space elf, for God sake!"

"According to Odin, his actions were still treasonous." Fury said with a shake of his head. "At least he's not in an Asgardian prison."

He continued, "for now, Loki will not be permitted to leave S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters until we know that he can assimilate into our society without putting up any red flags, or being an unintentional beacon for alien beings out there looking for vengeance. He'll be a fish out of water, so to speak … much like Thor was in New Mexico, which only did more to alert S.H.I.E.L.D. to his presence there. Who knows what Loki would attract under similar circumstances. We can't put our planet at risk just because Odin needed to give his son a spanking. We also need to make sure that he's not going to pull some stunt like he did the last time he was in New York. So far, he seems cooperative, but they don't call him the "God of Mischief" for nothing."

"What about Thor?"

"Thor is different. We still need him to blend in better, but he's a member of the Avengers Initiative. We know him to be benevolent and an ally. Most importantly, he sees humans as equals … or at the very least, deserving of respect."

"Loki on the other hand … ." Darcy had never met him but he seemed like the world's biggest douchebag. No, the universe's biggest douchebag.

"Loki is different. He's playing the part of a good boy so far, but it's obvious that he still at least partly holds to his 'ant-boot' philosophy."

"So you want me to help a guy … a guy who thinks I'm no more intelligent than pond-scum … to assimilate into American culture?"

"Yes." Fury sighed. "That's exactly what we want you to do. And to ease any concerns you might have for your safety, you will have access to a bodyguard whenever you feel like you need one. You'll also be relieved to know that just like Thor was in New Mexico, Loki has been stripped of all his powers."

_Still not comforting, _she thought.

"How many people did you ask before you asked me?" She wondered.

"Miss Lewis, we are asking you because we believe you to be the perfect person for the job."

Yep. That was Fury-speak for "at least ten people refused and you were the bottom of the barrel." Who would be stupid enough to hang around an alien megalomaniac that tried to enslave the entire planet with a big blue glow-stick?

_I can't do this._

"Mr. Fury, I'm flattered by the offer, but like I said … I haven't had much time to venture past my block with all the projects I'm working on, and I honestly don't know when I'd have the time … "

"We will lighten your workload considerably," Fury said, cutting her off.

Darcy closed her eyes … what other excuse could she think of? She really didn't want to be a God-sitter. This was so _not_ what she was hoping for as her first legit S.H.I.E.L.D. mission. She was thinking more along the line of helping a James Bond-type hot spy to catch some supervillain, perhaps an ex-KGB officer who had a secret lair in a cave somewhere in the South Pacific. Darcy would hack into his computer files, save the day, and then afterwards lay on the beach with Daniel Craig—er, the hot spy—and drink mai tais with little umbrellas. Not this.

"Umm … I was thinking about taking some time off and visiting my dad in New Orleans for a few weeks. S.H.I.E.L.D. offered to let me take some time because of the space-elf thing, but I decided not to take it … I think that maybe I'd like … "

"Miss Lewis." Fury cut her off again. "Your file says that since graduate school, you are having to make payments on your $120,000 in student loans, is this correct?" Fury walked back to the desk from the window.

She sighed. "Yes." $1,000 dollars a month. It crippled her. If she wasn't given an apartment in Stark Tower as a perk for working at S.H.I.E.L.D., she'd never be able to afford living in New York City. Sometimes she wondered if she'd ever be able to get out from under the debt's constant shadow.

"If you take on this assignment, S.H.I.E.L.D. will pay all of your student loan debt."

"Done."

_I'm such a moron_, she thought.


	3. Chapter 3

"I did so many stupid things today Jane … I can't even."

The two girls were hanging out in Jane's apartment that evening for "Taco Tuesday", a weekly tradition they had started during their time in New Mexico. It probably should have been renamed "Tequila Tuesday" as the tacos had evolved into simply eating Mexican food with the only constant in the equation being margaritas … and then usually straight Hornitos shots. Tortilla chips were passed around Jane's small kitchen table and they helped themselves to chicken enchiladas with green chile.

Darcy vented, "first, I accidentally admitted to Hawkeye that I think he's hot—and even just that makes me want to crawl under a rock and never show my face again—but then I whored myself out to S.H.I.E.L.D. because I'm one of the lowly 99%, and now I'm going to have to god-sit a psychotic homicidal alien and teach him that wearing capes and helmets with long horns isn't something you do around here unless you're five or it's Halloween." She took an extra-long sip of margarita, giving herself brain-freeze in the process. "Fury knew exactly what my Achilles Heel was and I caved so hard. It's official, I have no integrity."

"Darcy, just breathe." Jane said. "For one, I wouldn't worry about Clint … you told him that a fictional character was hot, not him. Believe me, he's too clueless in that respect to know the difference. And for two, working with Loki might not be all bad, especially since your student loans are getting paid for. I don't see what's so wrong with that."

"Whatever Jane. You're just excited to have Thor back." Darcy suddenly felt bad for her incessant complaining when her friend's muscley alien love-toy had just landed back on Earth. "Have you talked to him yet?"

"No. They won't let me see him yet. Hopefully tomorrow." Jane couldn't hide her grin while sipping on her margarita to calm her nerves. "I know it's supposed to be a bad thing that he was exiled … but I can't stop smiling!"

"Hmmm, yeah. Cause you know you're getting laid soon. I'm jealz." Darcy said.

"You know damn well that you could be getting sexed-up daily had you urged Ian come to New York with us."

"Meh." Darcy had spent weeks trying to force a relationship into happening with Ian, but after the excitement of impending death via evil space-elves and their giant uterus-spaceship from hell wore off, there just wasn't much of a spark left. At least on Darcy's end.

Jane knew she wasn't going to get anything else out of her about Ian, so she switched back to Darcy's current predicament. "Just take your new assignment one day at a time. It'll be okay."

"What makes you think this isn't going to be a disaster?" Darcy wondered.

"Thor said that their mother's death changed Loki. He hit rock-bottom … and then when they fought together on Svartalfheim, it felt like old times, how they used to be in sync with each other … before the whole diabolical-plan-take-over-the-world-thing." Jane said.

"Are you going soft for little-bro?" Darcy teased.

"Not at all. Letting Thor believe he was dead after everything that happened … let's just say I'm glad I got the chance to punch him." Darcy loved that part of Jane's Asgard story.

"But I do want to give you some insight into the situation before you have to interact with the shithead." Jane said.

"Shoot." Darcy managed to say in the midst of crunching on chips and salsa.

"Okay. Thor thinks that Loki came into contact with some very dark energy after he, you know … fell, jumped, whatever … off the Bifrost, and that it amplified his more negative emotions and darker nature. Apparently he was being kept in that state through his nearness to that sceptre of his and the tesseract, at least partly. Without them, and by being back at home, he was still, you know … an ass … but much less so."

"So something was controlling him?"

"Thor thinks so … at least somewhat. He said that when the Avengers were near the sceptre while they had Loki captive on the Helicarrier, that it fueled everyone's anger, which led to that whole unfortunate hulking-out situation. Loki had held that thing for a while, absorbing those bad vibes. Who knows where that negative energy came from."

"So the dark side of The Force was controlling him? Is Emperor Palpatine coming to get him?

"Something like that."

"Great. So some space demon is after Loki and Earth has to hide him. This is not cool! Why couldn't Odin banish him to some other planet? A planet that he hasn't tried to fucking enslave! If I can't teach him to appear to be your everyday 21st century dude-bro, we're gonna be Death Starred? This is too much pressure! This is beyond too much pressure, Jane! This is madness! Shit! I'm starting to talk like them now … ."

"Shhh, calm down." Jane tried to sooth her. "This is probably just a precaution. Fury doesn't want to leave anything up to chance. There's not many people, on this planet or on Asgard, that know Loki is alive. Most of these 'threats' probably think he's dead. We just need them to keep thinking that."

"But won't people on Earth recognize him?"

"Not necessarily." Jane replied. "S.H.I.E.L.D. did a pretty good job of concealing his presence to the general public. As far as most people think, it was the Chitauri alone that was responsible. There was also quite a bit of 'cleanup' in the aftermath of Loki's appearances."

"You mean the 'Men in Black' mind-fucked them with those flashy things?"

"Umm … I don't think it was quite that invasive … more like making really powerful suggestions."

"Jane. Did you already know about this whole thing?" Darcy was wondering why Jane already seemed on board and was doing her best to talk her into being cool with this assignment of a lifetime. She suspected that there had been conversations with the higher-ups about the situation.

"Not exactly. Or at least … I didn't know what I was saying." Jane said looking squirmish.

"Jane! What did you say?" Darcy was on her second margarita and was starting to get buzzed … and maybe a little loud.

Jane sighed. "All I said was that you were helping Steve to learn about the 70-year gap in history and popular culture that he's missing. Fury asked me what kinds of things we've all been doing together. I think he noticed that since we've been hanging out, Steve's loosened up a lot.

"Sooo?" Darcy was confused. How could watching a few movies with Captain America make Fury think that she could have any kind of impact on the brat prince.

"Well … Fury seems to think that Steve is coming out of his shell because of you. He's more content with his surroundings. A content captain is a more effective captain." Jane stated.

"But it's not just me. It's mostly been the three of us! He's even come for Taco Tuesdays a few times! This isn't just my deal. Why didn't Fury ask you? You have a higher security clearance than me."

"Not for long. You'll be moving up from level 6 to 7 here pretty soon." Jane said. "But seriously, you're the one that does most of the talking and teaching with Steve. You're the one that came up with 'Captain Movie Night' ... and Taco Tuesdays for that matter. You're creative and you know everything about so much random shit that it's scary. You could probably go on _Jeopardy_ with all the useless information in that brain of yours. And it's not just me … I'm pretty sure that Steve has sung your praises as well."

"Great. I get Captain America to watch _Captain Phillips_, _Captain Corelli's Mandolin_ and _Captain Ron_ … and I get roped into babysitting the biggest brat in the known universe."

"Don't forget the night that you made him watch all the movies with Captain Hook in them. That was fun … though I don't think I want to look at another bottle of rum for the rest of my life."

"Well for that I'm cutting him off … I'm not showing him any of the Captain Jack Sparrow movies." Darcy said with a huff. "Boy Scout ratted me out."

"Darcy … you know it wasn't like that. Steve appreciates you and he probably thought he was doing you a favor by telling Fury how awesome you are."

"Well, I guess no good deed goes unpunished," Darcy said, having switched from margaritas to straight up tequila shots because she was tired of getting brain freeze.

"Just … when you meet Loki, try not to let your mouth run too much." Jane warned.

"Me? My mouth run? Why would you ever accuse me of that?" Darcy asked in mock surprise.

"It's just … I think it might be best to take a different approach with him. From what Thor said, Loki is used to people treating him a certain way, and he's got a million insults that he's ready to fire off at any given time. He's got a sharp wit. He can say some pretty mean things and I don't want you to get hurt."

"Are you trying to say that I'm sensitive?"

"In certain circumstances … yes."

Darcy sighed. _Maybe_.

"Just don't call him the biggest brat in the universe, okay? Believe me, I don't give a _damn_ about his poor feelings … it's just that I don't want him getting you upset." Jane pleaded.

"I'll try … but he _is_ a brat. I mean, try to enslave an entire planet because your big brother is the golden boy of the family? Big deal … I'd hate to see it if he had step-siblings and step-parents, half-siblings and holidays where you have to go to four different houses and eat four different Thanksgiving dinners… you just end up so stuffed at the end of the night, but it's not like you can refuse your grandmother's turkey. It would be rude."

Jane looked at her. "I think you just gave me mind-whiplash, Darcy."

"Well, if I'm going to do this, I'm going to have to come up with a theme for a different movie night. How about some of Loki's favorite subjects? Movies about slavery and genocide? We can start out with _Roots_ followed by _Roots: The Next Generations_ and _Roots: The Gift_, also known as 'Christmas Roots'. Then we'll move on to _Schindler's List_ and _12 Year's a Slave_."

"Maybe that's something you should lead up to. Besides, I went to see _12 Year's A Slave_ with you and you were a mess. You don't think that sitting through tear-jerkers with Loki might be a little awkward?"

"Good point. Maybe we'll start out with _Reindeer Games_."

"Funny, Darcy." Jane shook her head. "Very funny."


	4. Chapter 4

Work the next morning was torturous. After dishing with Jane about her S.H.I.E.L.D. assignment from hell, they decided to partake in shots consisting of tequila and pineapple juice while watching some _Vampire Diaries_ episodes that had been building up in the DVR. They had decided to take a drink every time Damon Salvatore did his weird eye-flashy-thing, but decided that if they kept doing it, they'd both end up in the hospital with alcohol poisoning.

As she approached her desk, she noticed that someone had put a hefty file on top of it. She plopped down and flipped through it, reading about everything a "Midgardian" would ever want to know about one Loki Odinson, a.k.a. Laufeyson, his known origin, and what was myth versus what was true. There was also a whole section on what was just speculation. While looking in the "myth" category, she read that Loki was supposedly father to a giant snake, a wolf, and an 8-legged horse. Further reading about the horse had her hysterically laughing at her desk, turning a few nearby heads to see what was so funny. They saw it was Darcy and paid no mind. She was always in her own little world.

Darcy thought she might have still been a little drunk because she was strangely enjoying this. Apparently Loki was born on a planet called Jotunheim, land of "Frost Giants", and even though over the past few years she'd witnessed some crazy shit like giant fire-breathing robots and elves with Michael Myers masks … something just sounded so unbelievable about Frost Giants. Was it a planet full of abominable snowmen? Were they like Wampas from planet Hoth? The file also mentioned that Loki could supposedly turn blue, though no human had ever witnessed it. Fascinating.

"Well this is a strange sight," said a familiar voice. Darcy looked up to see Steve Rogers approaching her desk.

"Oh, hey! Yeah." She said pointing to her aviator shades that she was still wearing. "Taco Tuesdays. Waiting for the Advil to kick in."

"Rum?"

"Tequila. Rum doesn't go with tacos, silly."

"Noted. So what's got you laughing so hard?" Steve asked.

"This file on Loki." She clapped it shut, "apparently he fucked a horse while in the guise of a mare … who makes this shit up?" Steve gave a little laugh and only slightly furrowed his brows this time, still not used to a woman saying dirty words, but at least he seemed to be coming to terms with it.

Just then she remembered that she was slightly perturbed with him. "Hey, Cap! THANKS FOR TELLING FURY THAT I WAS HELPING YOU OUT, by the way. I just got my very first assignment thanks to you. God-sitting!"

"Yeah." He said looking sheepish. "Sorry about that, but you are a big help and sometimes our assignments aren't exactly what we want them to be, but it is our duty."

_Man, he really knew how to kill a mood sometimes_, Darcy thought. _Death by patriotism._

This was why she never thought of him in a romantic sense, even though he was gorgeous. Too wholesome. She liked dudes that she could see getting down and dirty, like Clint. She didn't think Steve had ever been down _or_ dirty.

"Of course." She said, feeling slightly chastised though he didn't mean it that way. "I know. I promise, I'm taking it seriously. You have to start somewhere, right?"

Steve nodded and smiled. "I was hoping that you'd let me sit in with you and Loki sometimes. I still have a lot to learn, and I can keep an eye out for you."

"Sure! I'm just a little shocked that any of you feel like I'm some sort of teacher or oracle of modern American culture. I just have a Netflix account and read a lot of blogs."

He shook his head. "You're downplaying yourself Darcy. I've seen all the rows and rows of books in your apartment. It would be one thing if they were just for show, but you've read all of them. Including the text books."

"Yeah … well, I had a scientist for a mom and a lawyer for a dad growing up, the hard stuff was always laying around. I thought maybe I could have something in common with them if I read about serious things, but in the end, J.K. Rowling and George R.R. Martin won out."

"Well, you've been a big help and I enjoy my time with you and Jane." He said reverently.

"But to more official matters," he changed the subject. "Agent Coulson would like to see you. It seems as though you're getting moved. A new office and security clearance. Congratulations! Welcome to level 7." He held out his hand to shake hers.

"Wow! Ummm … that's unexpected."

_A new office? What the hell …_

Ten minutes later, she was standing in Coulson's office, mystified, wondering what on Earth she did to warrant such a promotion. She was given a fancier employee badge, an expense account, and her fingerprints were scanned in order to be put into the system. She could now take the elevator to the upper levels which housed her new office, though it wasn't much of an office … more like a big closet. Even though it was small, she was excited however, sure that she could turn it into a cozy sanctuary in no time. The best thing was the window, which made up the whole back wall, so it had a great view of the city. This was what all the movies and T.V. shows said made you a success in New York City; a big window.

She just wasn't sure that all of this was necessary … couldn't she God-sit from her desk downstairs in the open floor-plan? Darcy decided to tuck all the doubts away for the time being and instead wondered about what in the hell her approach would be. Jane had mentioned that Loki was used to people treating him a certain way. She guessed that meant people were assholes to him. He most certainly deserved to be treated as such, but that just meant lowering yourself to his level. That was unacceptable.

She decided to take some advice from dear Oscar Wilde, "_Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much_."

And from Kurt Vonnegut, "_There's only one rule that I know of, babies—'God damn it, you've got to be kind_.'"

Killing him with kindness would be her approach. It would be so unexpected and hopefully seriously disorienting for him … and she also figured that her method would even be Captain America-approved! She tapped her fingers together like Mr. Burns from _The Simpsons_.

Just as she was testing out her new insanely comfortable office chair by bouncing up and down in it, Steve appeared again to usher her into yet another room.

He knocked on the door frame. "Ready to get started? You're needed in the conference room to meet your new assignment."

"Assignment? You mean homicidal nutbar?"

"I think the technical term is psychotic crazypants."

She gasped, feigning shock. "Oh my God, Steve … a joke! You made a joke! My baby's all grownsed up!"

She stood and smoothed out her black a-line dress. She liked it because it looked a bit retro and was simultaneously flattering and comfortable, two things she insisted clothing to be.

Steve noticed that the wrinkles she was smoothing out were imaginary. "Come on, it'll be okay."

Darcy was led into a narrow hallway that opened into a boardroom with nice soft lighting and more insanely comfortable office chairs. The upgrade on this floor was really quite palpable. Everyone was already sitting down at the big long table, which made her feel awkward. Fury was at the far end with Thor, Clint, and Natasha Romanov. Several chairs down was Loki, in the flesh, giving himself some space from the others. He was sitting with his arms across his chest, chair angled so that he was looking more towards the wall than at anyone else. His hair was a little longer than it was in the pictures from the reports on his violent appearances in Germany and New York. She noted that it looked softer though, less severe and slicked back.

"This is Darcy Lewis, Loki. She'll be helping you out." Steve said as he pulled out a chair for her next to Natasha and across from her Asgardian project. He then went to sit by Loki, probably for security sake. Loki, Darcy noted, did not look up or turn to acknowledge her at all, or anyone for that matter.

Darcy gave a little wave. "Hey guys. Welcome back Thor, nice to meet you Loki." She said quickly. "I see they've done a good job at giving you some Midgardian threads." They had in fact not given them any clothes. Both of them were still in their Asgardian armor, which to her seemed extremely uncomfortable, but both Thor and Loki seemed like they were born in it.

Thor was at least courteous enough to give her a nod and a smile, but it quickly faded. Darcy noted that he seemed depressed. She'd seen him be many things, but never depressed. It made her want to wrap him up in a pink blanket and tell him that everything was going to be okay.

Jane then hurried in and sat on the other side of her. "Sorry I'm late guys, bit of drama in the lab." The fact that Miss Perfect was late made Darcy feel a little less awkward, but then she felt bad for thinking that because Thor's girlfriend's appearance didn't seem to perk him up at all.

Darcy then stole a closer look at Clint, who was looking grim, but that wasn't unusual. He was also looking damn hot, but that was the same old story for her. She then looked over to Natasha sitting next to her, who was so cool and beautiful … and lethal. She was also Hawkeye's match. Darcy wished they would just admit to it so she could once and for all put Clint in the "taken" corner and then she could stop obsessing over him.

"Okay, let's get started." Fury said, seeming even more pissed off than usual. He stood. "If you two Asgardians are going to be staying in our country, then you're going to need to blend in better than you have during your previous stints on Earth. Hidden in plain sight. We don't need you waving some kind of interdimensional flag for any nefarious entity out there to see. To help you out with that, Thor you will have Jane. The two of you are familiar with each other and you'll need less guidance anyways. Just don't let whatever it is you two have going on interfere with your work. Do you understand?" He looked at both of them and made sure they nodded in reply.

Fury went on addressing Thor, "and as a member of The Avengers Initiative, who has sworn to protect Earth, we feel that you have a pretty firm grasp on the need to be cautious and subtle. We don't need other realms knowing that you've been exiled yet again, for Godsake. If we need your assistance on any matters or incidents, hopefully it can be done without the bright red cape, if you catch my drift." Thor then went from depressed to looking like someone kicked his dog at the thought of going to battle without his beloved red cape.

"Now, Loki." Fury received no reaction. "You are entirely different. Given that your interactions on Earth consist of being worshipped by primitive Vikings a thousand years ago, leveling a peaceful town in New Mexico two years ago, and going on a temper-tantrum mission for world domination, it's safe to say that your knowledge on how to assimilate is limited. Miss Lewis will help you with that as she has helped Steve here become more comfortable with his modern surroundings. _Do not_ make me regret putting you in her care."

"As Thor promised, your official imprisonment ended with your help in defeating the Dark Elves and we will help him to honor that, but S.H.I.E.L.D. is not about to let you go creating havoc out there on your own. Once we see that you are cooperating with the process, you can leave headquarters, but we will be monitoring you. If you choose to lend your services here at S.H.I.E.L.D., either by using your expertise to help Dr. Foster in her lab, or Dr. Banner with his work, you can then keep an apartment in Stark Tower like some of our agents do. We hope that you take us up on our offer as it's pretty much the only one you're going to get that doesn't involve waterboarding and being someone's bitch at Guantanamo Bay. Hopefully it won't be too long until Odin decides to take you out of time-out and you can go back to sulking in a corner somewhere on Asgard."

"Does all of this sound agreeable?" Fury was still ignored.

"DOES. ALL. OF. THIS. SOUND. AGREEABLE?"

_Fuuuuuuuuuuuck, he could be scary_, Darcy thought.

"I don't see that I have much of a choice, do I?" Loki said, still looking at no one. His voice, Darcy noted, was surprisingly deep and velvety. Weird.

"Good." Fury seemed satisfied.

"Darcy." He looked over to her in order to dole out some more instructions, she figured—but he just looked at her with his head cocked to the side. "Miss Lewis, is there a reason why you're wearing sunglasses to this meeting?"

_Oh shit, I forgot to take off my aviators, no wonder the lighting was so nice._

She yanked them off. "Sorry, I forgot to take my contact lenses out last night before bed and my eyes are sensitive." This was actually partially true. She liked to take her glasses off after work and put her contacts in for social situations, but she really should think twice about that when tequila was involved. At this revelation, Darcy's surly assignment actually decided to turn and look at her through narrowed eyes. It made her want to put her shades back on. He was already freaking her out.

"Anyways." Fury went on. "Steve will be joining in with you sometimes, as he requested … and Natasha and Clint will also be checking in with you from time to time to monitor Loki's progress. You can give your reports to them and they'll consult with me." He then looked to the Asgardians, "hopefully this will be a smooth transition and we won't have to hold anymore meetings to figure out what the hell to do with you."

Darcy raised her eyebrows and had to hide a grin with her hand. Fury had been talking to these otherworldly "princes" like they were naughty middle-school students and they had to just sit there and take it. This was kind of hilarious.

"And now I leave you to get better acquainted as I have to get back to more pressing matters." And with that Fury was out the doorway.

Jane then swept Thor away to talk in a corner and Steve got up to discuss something with Natasha and Clint … leaving Darcy to try to make small talk with His Royal Hostileness. She looked at him for a few seconds before she could think of anything to say. She was so nervous that her mind went blank, which rarely happened. He just sat there with his eyes averted. This was beyond awkward.

"Okay." She started, noting his attire. "I guess first we should go and get you some new clothes." He couldn't wear that armor everyday, it had to be uncomfortable. Not to mention, how do you launder that stuff?

He looked up at her, annoyed, peering through preternatural blue-green eyes. "I can't leave this building." He said, managing to fill just that one sentence with enough disgust for her that she wanted to go to her office, shut the door, and hide under her desk. Darcy refused to let him intimidate her like this.

"Oh." She said, trying to channel Oscar and Kurt's wisdom. "Right. Well, I guess I'll go get you some then. Do you know what your size is?" He just gave her an icy stare in response.

_Yep. This was going swimmingly!_

"Can you stand up please? I'll have to guess." She sat back, trying to gauge what sizes to get. To her surprise, he actually grudgingly obliged. As he stood, she noted that he was quite tall and lean with an otherworldly grace that came through in just a simple movement like getting up from a chair. She let that thought fade away as she figured he looked to be about as tall as Ian. So about 6'2 or 6'3. Loki seemed as if he liked wearing things a bit form-fitting, so she'd opt for getting him "smediums" as she called the shirts hipsters liked to wear. Tight with a hint of room. She was thinking that maybe he was a Banana Republic sort of guy instead of Old Navy or Hollister. She had no idea how to shop for pants for him though, having never personally dressed any of the men in her life, and she was afraid to ask him for any sort of cooperation.

The moment was then interrupted by her phone going off with the custom ringtone of "Cold Hard Bitch" by Jet. Her mom was calling her. She stared at the phone for a second as it dawned on her that for the first time in years, she was actually glad her mother was calling.

"Scuse me, I'm going to take this out in the hall. Be right back." Loki then sat back down and closed his eyes like it hurt to be there.

She flew out the doorway and swiped her phone as she turned the corner.

"Mom?" Her mother didn't call very often, so Darcy was slightly worried that she was about to hear some bad news.

"Hey sweetie!" Darcy winced at her mother's instant fake cheeriness. The familiar unease she felt in her mother's presence, prickled at her neck. She actually might have been more comfortable back in the boardroom with Loki.

"What's going on?"

"I just wanted to call and tell you that I'll be traveling to New York in about three weeks for a conference!" Her mom sounded like she was in a car, an alarm going off for a door being ajar. "Just hoping that we could do lunch or dinner? Perhaps you could show me your office or your new apartment? Wouldn't that be lovely?"

"Sure, mom, that would be great." Darcy figured her mom might actually enjoy seeing her new office and even be impressed by her new digs. Living in Stark Tower was pretty prestigious and her mother loved things that were prestigious. "I'll make a reservation at a cool restaurant, just text me the dates."

"Great! It will be so good to see you! Gotta run, sweetie, on my way to a meeting. Call you later." And with that her mother hung up.

Darcy stared at her phone for a few minutes like she usually did after her mother called. Her mom's attention was never in the same place as she was, her mind always a step ahead of her body. It gave Darcy whiplash. She had actually made a pact not to answer her phone calls anymore but could never bring herself to ignore them. She kept hoping that one day her mom would decide to be a real person on the other end. That day was not today.

Needing to indulge in one of her vices, Darcy decided to stop at the coffee station down the hall. While there, she decided to pick up a cup for Loki too … might as well induct him into the Midgardian wonders of heavenly java. As she walked back to the the others, she could hear Loki actually stringing together words into more than one sentence.

When she got just outside the doorway she heard, "the utter ridiculousness of this situation boggles the mind." Loki seethed. "I don't see why I need to be looked after by some peasant girl in order to keep my idle hands out of trouble. It's ludicrous. She's a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent only because she knows too much and the clowns that run this inept place do not know what else to do with her. _Promoted_ only because no one below a certain level can know my real name. It's insulting that you are subjecting me to this as a prince of Asgard. She's _nothing special_."

_Nothing special_. Darcy froze into place, holding her two cups of coffee, heat flaring up around her face as his words stung at her insides. She was just outside the door and they couldn't see her yet.

Steve, God bless him, chimed in. "You're wrong, Loki. She's much more than meets the eye. Very intelligent and a hell of a lot of fun. She's helped me out quite a bit." Darcy could hear the Asgardian give a short mocking laugh in response.

As she stood there, she realized that Steve was the only one who bothered to stand up for her, and he was probably only doing it because he was contractually obligated to, being Mr. Wholesome McBoyScout and all.

_Channeling Oscar and Kurt. Channeling Oscar and Kurt._

_Nothing special_. Darcy closed her eyes for a few seconds to gather her wits and strength, straightened her shoulders and just walked into the room like she didn't hear a thing. She plastered a smile on her face, just like she learned from childhood. Darcy had been determined to be a real person years ago, unlike her mom, but she was taught how to put on a mask from the best.

"Sorry about that guys, I had to take a call from my mom." She looked over at Loki and smiled at him. He actually had the tact to look vaguely guilty about what he'd said, hoping that she hadn't heard him. She decided not to leave him with any doubt.

"Here Loki, I got you a cup of coffee. It's pretty amazing stuff. Not sure how you like it, but I put in cream and three sugars since you're probably a beginner." She looked over at his brother, who looked horrified. "Thor actually smashed a cup after drinking some, he liked it so much … but this is made out of paper, so don't do that. It won't have the same effect." She walked over to his side of the table and set it in front of him. He looked up at her timidly, a stark difference from the scorn he had previously been emanating throughout the meeting.

Darcy continued, her smile getting weaker, her mask starting to break.

_Not yet, not yet._

"It's just office brew though, not like Starbucks or Stumptown … it's _nothing special_."

She walked back to her side of the table, picked up her aviators, and put them back on just in time to hide the tears welling up in her eyes. She then hurried out the doorway, knowing that no one in the building took her seriously. This was all just a big joke.

_Fuck them all._


	5. Chapter 5

Darcy had left the building quickly to avoid anyone following her. She had a mission to uphold after all and she needed to get started.

From Loki's file, every single picture and old drawing depicted him wearing green. Well, if the dude loved green so damn much, she was going to do everything in her power to please him with the clothes that she picked out.

On her brand new expense account she took cabs everywhere. First, she went to a souvenir shop in Midtown that she called ahead of time to make sure they carried what she wanted … several green T-shirts that said variants of St. Patrick's Day-like phrases such as "Kiss Me I'm Irish" or "Kiss Me I'm Desperate" … and she threw in one that said "Fuck Me I'm Drunk" for good measure. If he wanted to dress like it was March 17th everyday then he needed the proper threads.

Next she went to a geek shop and picked up a few choice items, among them a Yoda shirt and a very cute Kermit the Frog shirt that said "It's Not Easy Being Green", naturally. Loki should love that one considering that no one understood the poor bastard.

After that, she headed to a sporting goods store where she picked up gear from various sports teams where green was their primary color. Celtics, Jets, Oakland A's, and of course, the Green Bay Packers. She figured that all the stuff with Clay Matthew's number on it would be fitting since he looked like a big strapping viking warrior not unlike Thor himself. She swiped the company card and bought him every manner of jersey, t-shirt, shorts, track pants, pajamas, socks … right down to some Green Bay Packers boxer shorts with their big "G" logo across the crotch.

Next was the shoe store where she picked up green pumas, nikes, adidas, and converse in a few different sizes, not sure which ones he'd prefer and not caring how much she was spending … then made sure to find a few shiny green belts, an assortment of green hats (fedora, ball cap, beanie, etc.), and hipster sunglasses with neon green frames.

After she was done shopping for the day, she had the cab wait outside of S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters while she took all the packages inside, wrote a quick note, pinned it to one of his new t-shirts and left everything with the people at the front desk (who took her much more seriously with her new 'level 7' employee badge). She gave them express instructions to bring them up to "Luke Owens", Loki's very creative new alias, ASAP.

Before anyone could be alerted that she had returned, she hurried back out the main doors, hopped back into the cab and was dropped off at the nearest movie theater. She didn't want to go home because Jane and probably Thor would inevitably be knocking on her door.

Jane had certainly been blowing up her phone with text messages and so had Steve, who almost never used his new iPhone. Darcy decided to put their minds at ease by replying to them both, "_No worries, out shopping for Loki Emo-dinson_."

At the theater, she picked out something mindless. No tear-jerkers tonight, nothing epic or poignant or Oscar-worthy. She just wanted to laugh and take a break from life for a few hours. Since it was October, they were running special "monster movies" every day to get into the spirit of Halloween and tonight they happened to be featuring _Zombieland_. Perfect. Unlike _The Walking Dead_, the movie had clear monsters—the zombies. No blurred lines.

She got a big blue icee and a package of peanut butter M&M's because she always lived by _Zombieland Rule No. 32_: Enjoy the little things.

* * *

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Darcy Lewis, my new favorite person."

She looked up from the breakfast she was having the next morning in the breakroom at S.H.I.E.L.D., although she thought it hilarious to call what looked like a space age kitchen that belonged on the Starship Enterprise a breakroom. Her eyes grew large as she saw that Tony Stark was standing over her with a wicked grin on his face.

Darcy nearly choked on her poppy seed bagel. "Whoa. Mr. Stark?" She had only interacted with him in meetings where very technical questions were asked and only one-word answers were needed. It was like having George Clooney acknowledge your existence. Didn't he only talk to A-list cool people, geniuses and Victoria's Secret models?

"Just call me Tony. Please." He said to her. "Though after that trick you pulled on the so-called God of Mischief up there, you can call me anything. Seems like he's got nothing on you."

Darcy gave a little laugh. She had been thinking twice all morning about her little "trick" and was beginning to regret it now that she had to go face Loki again. "I didn't pull a trick on him."

"Sure." Stark said as he sat down opposite her. "That note on top of the 'My Little Pony' shirt that said 'I heard you really loved horses, XOXO Darcy' wasn't written by you?"

"Yeah, but it wasn't so much of a 'trick'. More like a 'fuck you'." She said.

Tony chuckled. "I'll tell you what, the look on his face when he opened up those boxes was one of shock and awe. I've never seen him so confused. It was a great contrast to the sullen frown he's been wearing since he arrived here a few days ago. There was even a twinkle in his eye when it dawned on him that he'd been messed with."

"You were there?"

"Oh yeah. Me and Bruce never laughed so hard. We were in his temporary quarters talking to him about his new job."

"Temporary quarters? Oh, you mean his god-proof cell? He can rot in there." She said.

Tony laughed. "Don't mind Prancer. He's just mad that someone took his big king-stick away again. That's three times now? Gotta sting."

"He seems pretty attached to those big sticks."

"Seriously kiddo, like Banner says, that guy's brain is a bag full of cats. Don't let him get to you. He's a prick to everyone. If you're going to be a big bad S.H.I.E.L.D. agent you gotta grow a thick skin, and not just a tight leather cat-suit skin, though you would look amazing in that … but you can't let em shake you up." He sat back and crossed his legs. It surprised her how engaged he was, like he gave a person his whole attention while talking to them. She so respected that.

"Yeah, I think that part you were saying about me being a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent is kind of a joke." She was surprised at how easy it was to talk to him.

"Nonsense." He said, not missing a beat. "You've met the 90-year-old virgin icicle? SulkEye? Dr. Jekyl & Mr. Hulking Hyde? We've all got serious issues, kid. Everyone is a joke. You're just one of the only ones with a sense of humor."

She thought about Bruce and how he turned into what Tony called a "rage monster", but he was also ridiculously brilliant and Darcy could never think of him as a joke … though he did bring to mind her southern granny with the things he said sometimes.

"Banner really said that Loki's brain was a bag full of cats? That's adorable." She grinned.

"And by adorable you mean …?"

"That he's a total dork."

"There's my girl." Tony said. And with that statement she beamed, feeling like someone had just given her a shot of confidence.

"I guess I'm going to have to get serious about this assignment and get him some clothes that he'd actually like to wear. I'm just not good at that sort of thing, having never bought men's clothing for myself." Darcy mused.

"I can get Pepper to help you. She's good at that stuff."

"Yeah? Holy shit, that would be so awesome. Thanks. For being so nice to me." she said, grateful for the intervention.

"Shhhh." He said, looking around. "I don't need people around here thinking I'm nice … and it's no problem. I'd do anything for the girl who got Loki a Green Lantern back-pack."

Tony got up to leave, but before walking out he said, "I'm pretty sure you earned some respect from Mr. Mischief, but you might have also started something."

Darcy frowned. "What you do you mean?"

"Just be glad that he's been stripped of his powers. It'll make things a little more even.

"Huh?" She still didn't understand.

"You can't trick the God of Mischief without expecting some kind of retaliation." He said with a grin and then walked out of the room.

_Oh great. If he wasn't already a monster, I might have just created one._


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: I just wanted to say thanks for reading, you guys! I really appreciate the reviews. It's awesome to know that someone out there in interwebs-land is enjoying the story. I just wanted to explain that I changed the icon because the other one I used was just something random I put up there until I could work on a better one. Also, in case the title is a little confusing, it's a play on the "manic pixie dream girl" trope, which I think is what Darcy would be for Loki albeit with quite a bit more depth than you usually see. I chose to explore the Darcy/Loki pairing just because I find them so much more interesting than the actual two main characters, Thor and Jane. I do plan on making this book-like and I have the over-all arc figured out ... still working out the minor stuff. Will try to update as often as I can.**

* * *

The rest of the morning was spent shopping at Barney's with Pepper Potts, which was strangely exhilarating. Darcy had never met someone who was so efficient and commanding, yet incredibly sweet. She decided that she wanted to be Pepper when she grew up. Apparently S.H.I.E.L.D. had extremely detailed records of Loki from when he was in town the last time (trying to take over the world) and Pepper was able to gather his exact measurements somehow. They must have done some kind of body scan on him at one point or another and Darcy was strangely curious to see exactly what that entailed. Did aliens have all the same parts that humans did? Was everything proportional? Did Frost Giants have nipples?

Pepper made sure to pick out a sharp black three-piece suit as well as other basics that usually filled a man's closet. The last thing they did was pick out a pair of jeans for their resident alien, Darcy insisting that you couldn't try to blend in with American society without denim.

By lunchtime, Darcy was in the elevator going up one floor from hers to where Loki was being held. She then walked down to his room holding a long garment bag that contained the suit while pushing a small cart containing boxes that held the rest of his new things. Darcy had asked Pepper why they were sparing no expense on someone who basically amounted to a war criminal, but she explained that it would be imperative for Loki to blend in, plus he would be assisting Dr. Banner with a big project and that it was fair compensation for his expertise. Apparently the guy was brilliant. Whatever.

Through a long white hallway was a big white desk with two guards seated, typing away at their laptops. She showed them her badge and was led to the entrance of the Asgardian's temporary quarters. They instructed her to put her hand on the scanner by the door handle to be let in. One of the guards asked if she wanted him to escort her inside but she declined, sure that they would be listening anyway … why have some dude standing over her shoulder making her even more nervous?

When she got to Loki's door, she didn't want to just barge in, so she knocked first and then scanned her hand. The door automatically swung open to reveal a fairly large room with more white. White walls, white furniture and harsh bright lighting. She wondered if this was normally a room they used to torture people.

Loki stood up from the desk he was sitting at when she walked into the room. He put the book he was reading down and she noticed that someone had given him a copy of _Crime and Punishment_ to help him pass the time. Yep. Definitely a torture room. She had tried to start that book at least a dozen times and could never get more than a quarter of the way through.

He was wearing a green tunic that must have been some kind of undergarment for his armor, and then to her surprise, he had on a pair of the track pants she got him. They were white with a green stripe going down them. He wasn't wearing any of the shoes though, as he was barefoot, which seemed strange, but all in all he looked comfortable.

Darcy was also comfortable in her black wrap dress that came to about mid-thigh, perfect for nice thick grey tights and knee-high boots. For some reason, after starting to work for S.H.I.E.L.D., she wore a lot more black. It was probably that whole web design thing. Pretty soon she'd be driving a Volkswagen.

"I really like what you've done to the place … you really added some color." She said, breaking the silence.

When he just kept standing there, looking blank, she walked over and thrust the garment bag into his arms, "here's your new suit. I promise, it's legit. Not something a leprechaun would wear." He attempted to give a smile that looked more like a grimace and walked over to lay it on what must have been his bed but it was more like a cot.

"You seriously need to get out of here, Loki. This place is depressing." She knew that he probably deserved to be locked up for a hundred years, but something about actually witnessing his confinement made her feel a little sorry for him. He had nothing, not even his own planet, and he had alienated everyone in his life.

"I've seen far worse than this, I assure you." It was the first thing he said to her that wasn't dripping with disdain.

_There was that velvety voice again,_ Darcy thought. It didn't seem like it belonged to him. Like it was the voice of someone who used to be him. Not anymore.

"I'll let you go through this other stuff later," she said, pointing to the boxes on the cart … "it's just the basics. I figured that I'd get you a laptop and show you how to order what you'd like online. I don't think I was meant to be a men's stylist." She said.

He cocked an eyebrow in what appeared to be agreement and said, "would you like to sit down?" He gestured to a chair on the other side of the desk. They both sat and she took her tablet out of her handbag, bent her head to start making notes.

"I'm glad to see that you're able to stand to look at me today," he said, the edge back in his voice.

She looked up to see him peering at her again through those narrowed green eyes.

"What are you even talking about?" She asked. He wasn't making sense.

"Yesterday. Those dark glasses that Nick Fury made you take off."

She cocked her head to the side in confusion.

"Wait. You thought I was wearing sunglasses so I wouldn't have to look at you?" She asked, mystified.

"I may have lost my powers but I can still tell when a person is lying." He spat.

"Ummm, I wasn't lying. I _didn't_ take my contacts out."

"Whatever that means, it wasn't the answer to the question you were asked."

She was so taken aback by the revelation that he thought she was intentionally slighting him yesterday that she began to laugh, which he did not look happy about.

The guy really was completely clueless. "Oh, honey." She said. "You really do need help. Listen. There are two reasons why a lady might be wearing sunglasses indoors. Either she's been crying or she's hung over. I was the latter. And I wasn't about to reveal that to my boss. Am I telling the truth now?"

He didn't say anything, just squinted his eyes.

"And contrary to popular belief, not everything is about you." She shook her head. "Lord."

"You were drinking the night before? Was this in celebration of your new position or were you consoling yourself." He accused, more bitterness.

Her eyes widened. "Oh my god. It's like you're _looking_ for reasons to get offended. Me and Jane were drinking tequila because it was a Tuesday. Taco Tuesdays. Same thing we do every week. Same thing we've done since before we even heard of you … except for those couple of weeks in London when we substituted Jaeger, but that was a horrible idea. Never again."

He squinted his eyes again … was this some kind of Asgardian lie detector test?

"Do I need to tell you what I do with my Thursdays now? Or will that explanation suffice?" She was at a loss.

He appeared to bite the inside of his lip and his eyes softened. He couldn't find anymore reasons to be a colossal dick to her.

"Darcy Lewis." Loki and Thor's habit of calling everyone by both their first and last name all the time was going to get on her nerves real quick.

"Loki Odinson."

"Yesterday. I was not expecting kindness."

"Is that … an apology?"

"I did not mean the things I said." Said the "God of Lies".

"Whatever you say. Can we move on?" Darcy didn't want to think about the things he said. He had said them with such malice that it was hard to believe he didn't mean them at least on some level.

He inclined his head in agreement.

She changed the subject. "Do you wear sunglasses on Asgard?" Darcy didn't know what she would do in a world without shades. She had about twenty pairs and loved them all.

"No. Our eyes are not sensitive to light like yours are."

"You're really missing out. They're a great accessory. Seems like you have to overcompensate for not having good accessories with those pointy helmets."

He cracked half a smile.

_Oh my gawd. Half a smile._

"Alright." She said, getting to business. "I've been tasked to help you assimilate. The faster you can do that, the faster you can get out of this white-as-fuck room. I promise, Stark Tower is much nicer than this and it has free wi-fi. Is this something you want?"

He shrugged.

"Ooookay. So let me ask you first, what would you like me to help you with?"

"I want my powers back." He said immediately.

"Okay. I'll work on that. What else?" She said right back.

"You're only serious about half the time, aren't you." He looked slightly amused.

"I don't know what you're talking about. What else?"

He thought for a few seconds. "I've been wondering how some Midgardians are so large when they eat tasteless food out of tiny boxes." He got up to walk to the other side of the room where a small refrigerator stood with a tiny microwave on top. He opened the freezer section to reveal several lean cuisines.

Darcy laughed, "Someone gave you lean cuisines. Yep. They torture people in here." And they thought _she_ had pulled a trick on him. "I'll make sure to get you a nice dinner before I leave for the night." She continued. "Please don't judge our planet's culinary skills based on frozen dinners. Those are mainly just for lunch when you've got a week to fit into a new dress. They're not for growing lads."

She wondered what on Earth he'd actually like to eat. Chinese? Indian? They didn't exactly have any Asgardian restaurants around here.

"What kinds of things do you eat on Asgard?"

"Feasts." He shrugged.

She shook her head. Whatever, he was getting Wendy's. "Anything else you'd like?"

"Yes." He walked over to a cabinet by the bed/cot and opened one of the drawers that contained some of the t-shirts she bought him, meticulously folded into perfect squares. He picked up the first one and shook it out.

"Who is this little man?" He asked.

"That's Yoda. He's a Jedi master. Origins unknown."

"Jedi?"

"Yes. The Jedi use the light side of The Force for their powers. The Sith use the dark side. You'd love the movies that Yoda is from. Do you want to watch them? If you're going to be in America, you have to watch movies. Might as well start with _Star Wars_. It's legendary. It's influence is everywhere."

He shrugged.

"You know, if we're gonna hang out, you're going to have to stop that shrugging thing. It's really getting on my nerves. Also? We don't usually call people by their whole names here after we've been introduced, so just call me Darcy." She got up to leave. "I'll be back before I leave for the day … I have to finish my weekly report for Coulson."

He shrugged.

She shook her head and walked out the door.

* * *

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Loki watched Darcy leave. She was a peculiar creature and he couldn't get a read on her, which rarely happened. She could have gotten hostile after what he'd said the day before, like anyone else would, but she didn't. Instead she played a game, got even. It was the kind of thing he used to do, once upon a time and long ago when life had its more pleasant moments.

She couldn't have known what bringing him a drink at the exclusion of all the others in the boardroom would have meant to an Asgardian. It was a gesture of the highest respect to serve him in such a manner and it had floored him, even though it was just a simple cup of coffee. Even before his fall from grace, no one did such things for him, and even though it was accidental on her part, he still felt pangs of guilt that she did this even after hearing the horrible things he'd said.

Being forced to be around these mortals who had conquered him was just another indignity on top of months of them. Years, really. And he figured that she was treating him like all the others were. With disgust. Like a burden. Like a monster.

But his assumptions had been wrong. She was innocent.

He shook his head. He couldn't feel guilt for a human. This was unacceptable. He needed to get a grip on himself.


	7. Chapter 7

While back in her office, Darcy set her mind to finishing up her report but waited as long as she could before doing what she'd been putting off for a few days—calling Ian. It would be evening-time in London, but he hadn't gotten back to her yet by email and his was the last bit of intelligence she needed.

She dialed him up and he answered immediately, "Cheers Darcy, sorry, I know I'm late."

"What's taking so long, Ian?" She loved it when he said "cheers".

"Right. There were just a few more things that I needed to check out before I sent you what I found. It seems as though there's been some strange coincidences going on with a few of our prisoners." Ian said. After the evil space-elf incident, both Darcy and Ian had been offered jobs with S.H.I.E.L.D. and the British intelligence agency, MI6. She had decided to go back to The States while Ian remained in London, figuring they could help each other out by having an "in" at the friendly espionage agency across the pond.

"What's going on with the prisoners?"

"They've been acting strange."

"And that's news? Don't they always act strange?"

"It's news because none of them seem to be linked in any way except with how they've been acting." He paused.

"Aaaand how have they been acting?" Darcy rolled her eyes. Sometimes talking to him was like pulling teeth.

"It's like they've been meditating, going into a trance. I've been looking up the reports from where Britain's most 'colorful' prisoners are incarcerated and they're not raising any eyebrows because they're not doing anything wrong necessarily, they're just acting a bit weird. But these aren't blokes who normally take yoga classes or try to find enlightenment."

"Colorful prisoners?"

"The kind that don't end up in the papers."

"What do you mean? Remember who you're talking to, here." Darcy said, chewing on a pen.

"They're the ones that The Doctor has saved the world from." He joked.

"Gotcha." This is why they were still friends. They spoke the same language … "nerd". "What's MI6 doing about it?"

"They don't seem to think it's a problem … yet. Mainly because, like I said, the inmates are not doing anything bad … they're actually being a lot more pleasant than usual. But to me, that's a bit scary."

"So none of them actually know each other and yet they're all doing this meditation thing?" Darcy wondered.

"Right. That's what was taking me so long … I was trying to figure out any possible connection between any of them but found none. Nothing tangible."

"Well that's weird. Can you email me what you've got?"

"Of course." He said in that London accent of his. The accent and his tallness were the things about Ian that had made her go weak in the knees. She knew that they were superficial things, but they had kept her entertained for a fun couple of weeks. But then it had turned into an irritating couple of weeks as he started to annoy the hell out of her. And it wasn't like he was trying to get on her nerves, it was just all the little things that kept adding up. Like his constant fingernail biting and tongue-clicking. The finger tapping. His out-of-tune whistling to songs that she otherwise enjoyed. His soccer obsession also bothered her, which prompted Darcy to always call it "soccer" in front of him instead of "football", just to annoy him.

She understood loving sports as she had always loved football (the good American kind), but Ian took it to aggravating heights. He was constantly looking up scores and reading articles on his phone while they were out to lunch or dinner, and if there was a game on, there was no chance of doing anything else. Ian was either at a pub with his mates or at home, screaming at the television. She had tried going to the pub with him a few times to see what all the fuss was about, but she couldn't figure out what got these guys so riled up over what she thought was a boring game. All they did was go back and forth … back and forth. Barely scoring. And all the players faked injuries, which she found ridiculous. The only things she enjoyed were the players themselves, who were actually quite nice to look at. There was nothing like a soccer body. American football players were too big and beefy for her tastes and basketball players were too Lurch-like. Soccer players were just right. Too bad their game was boring.

"Darcy." Ian said, breaking her from the soccer-player daydream.

"Yeah?"

"I was wondering … if you'd let me visit. They want to send me over there for business and I've never been to America."

Darcy closed her eyes. She really didn't want him there. It would be weird. She didn't want him getting anymore ideas. On the other hand, it would also be nice to see a friend as she'd been kind of lonely in New York. She was developing friendships with co-workers, but Jane was the only one she was really close to, though she was a work-a-holic. Darcy's family was spread out across the country, but none of them lived on the East Coast.

"I can't give you permission to come to America. It's a free country Ian, I might have gotten a promotion but I still don't have the authority to put you on a no-fly list."

"Right." That was another thing that bothered her, his constant use of the word "right', though lots of British boys did that.

After a knock on the door, Jane and Steve came in giving her a much-welcome excuse to get off the phone.

"Okay, gotta go Ian! My boss just came in, he needs to talk to me." She said.

"Right. Cheers Darcy, I'll email everything. Talk to you soon."

Jane looked at her with disapproval. "Why did you lie to him like that?"

Darcy rolled her eyes, "I didn't want to hurt his feelings. He'd just asked to come visit and I didn't want him to think I was ditching him to talk to other more important friends."

Jane gasped in excitement, "he's coming to visit?"

Darcy shook her head, "If he comes, it won't be for me, it'll be for work. Don't get any ideas in that head of yours."

"I still don't understand what's so bad about him." Jane had always been pro-Ian.

"There's nothing bad about him. It just didn't work out … okay? Now, what's up?" Darcy wanted to stop talking about Ian.

Steve spoke up from where he was lingering in the doorway. "We were just wondering if you wanted to get some early dinner. Catch happy hour?"

"Hmmm … I was supposed to grab dinner for Loki, but I guess I could always send something over to him. Do you think he'll like take-out?"

Jane sighed. "Who cares."

Darcy feigned shock, "whoa Jane, I thought you were starting to like little bro … trying to convince me that my new assignment might not be so bad after all."

"Let him starve." Jane crossed her arms across her chest.

Darcy laughed. "What's going on, you guys?"

Steve chimed in, "She's just a little worried about Thor. We can talk about it at dinner. Boqueria at 5?"

"Oooo, tapas! Yes please!" She bounced in her seat.

They made plans to meet in the lobby a little later, then Darcy put the finishing touches on her report and sent it to Coulson, who then messaged her back with a few updates on her alien assignment.

For one, Loki had so far been cooperative, so she was to tell him that as soon as he started dressing like a normal person, he was free to leave his room. Though he was only allowed on two floors, his own, which also housed Dr. Banner's lab, and the one below. He was not to be in any part of the building that anyone below a level 7 had access to.

For two, there were several devices for her to pick up for him. He was to receive a laptop and phone and she was to teach him how to use them. Darcy was sure that if S.H.I.E.L.D. was providing his electronics instead of her buying them personally from the Apple store like she planned, it meant that they were to be bugged. She hoped that Loki didn't discover internet porn because that would sure be an embarrassing browser history for S.H.I.E.L.D. to find.

She looked at the clock and realized that she didn't have time to visit him before she left, but she did get some food delivered from an organic hippie establishment that specialized in catering to uppity rich types who jumped on whatever diet fad happened to be popular. They had a menu dedicated to that whole "paleo" thing which is what she figured was the closest to a Viking diet she could find in Manhattan. From what Jane had told her, Asgard seemed like a kind of sci-fi Viking world, so she didn't think that the traditional New York delivery of lo-mein would suit Loki's palate.

Darcy worried that he'd get all pissy for not showing up since he seemed to be on the sensitive side and took every chance he could to get offended, so she wrote him a quick note to be delivered with his food: "Hope this feast is better than frozen low-fat mac and cheese. Had to leave early for a friend in need. Girl Talk. See you in the A.M." She didn't know if his ability to detect lies included written ones so she decided to stick to the truth.

Later at Boqueria, after helping Steve to order tapas (he ordered dessert first), Jane started to make small talk though Darcy could tell she had bigger things on her mind.

"So what did you end up getting Loki to eat?"

"I got him a few paleo dinners from one of those organic places." Darcy smiled at the server as he dropped off a bottle of cava.

"Why go to so much trouble? He's got food."

"Jane. He's got a freezer full of lean cuisines. He thinks that's what we eat. I can't have that."

"Sure you can." Jane scowled.

"Nope. He suffers from some kind of delusion that Asgard is the end-all-be-all and that everything down here on Earth is sub-par. I'm planning on shattering that delusion, starting with the food."

Steve laughed, "I like this plan. What's his first movie night going to be? I know you've already got something in mind."

"Yeah. I was thinking 'genocide' or 'slavery' but Jane talked me out of it. Nothing too heavy. I was thinking 'alien invasion'. We'll show him where he went wrong."

Jane laughed, "He went wrong because he underestimated The Avengers." She said nodding at Steve.

"Sure," Darcy replied. "But if he would have watched _Independence Day_ before he tried to take over the world, Loki would have understood that rule number one for an alien invasion is to never underestimate the power of the human spirit." She took her first sip of cava, "plus I just really want to see the look on his face when Will Smith is all like, 'WELCOME TO EARF!'"

Jane looked excited, "Oh, I have to be there for that! What else?"

"I was thinking _War of the Worlds_, _Signs_, maybe _Predator_ … or _Close Encounters of the Third Kind_. Darcy nodded at the server as he brought their first round of tapas.

"_War of the Worlds_! I actually know that one! I listened to the radio show. That was really something." Steve was excited to recognize something for once.

"They remade it a few years ago" Darcy said. "It has Tom Cruise in it and I remember it actually being kinda scary. It was like, psychological and stuff."

"When's this gonna happen? We've got be there." Steve asked, somewhat giddy. He had become quite the movie buff.

"I've got my report done and not much on my itinerary till next week. Fury wasn't kidding when he said he'd lighten my work load. Maybe tomorrow? I don't know. As soon as I can get a TV and Blu Ray player in Loki's room. And maybe a few comfortable chairs. It would be better if he could leave the building but I don't see that happening for awhile."

Steve shook his head. "He's going to have to prove himself to Banner and Stark before Fury will think about letting him have his own place and be free to walk around."

"How are they gonna keep track of him after he's allowed to leave?" Darcy wondered.

"Ankle monitor. And if he does something he's not supposed to, it's the kind of monitor that will shock you." Steve said, finally trying his cava.

"Oooo, like a taser?" Darcy's eyes lit up.

"Exactly."

"Darcy loves tasers." Jane said looking thoughtful. She'd had a whole glass of cava at this point and was ready to spill about what was on her mind. "Darcy, I owe you an apology. I know I should have punched Loki in the face—again—for what he said in that meeting, I was just so shocked by the way Thor was acting that I couldn't concentrate on anything else."

"Thanks, but it's cool." She really didn't want to be reminded of it.

"If it makes you feel any better, Thor practically pummeled him, saying he didn't deserve an offering of cups, or whatever. It took all of Steve and Clint's strength to restrain him." Jane said.

"Offering of cups? What the hell is that?" Darcy wondered.

Jane and Steve looked at each other and shrugged.

"Whatever. Alright guys, moving on. I'd rather forget about it if you don't mind." The disaster of a meeting had brought up a lot of Darcy's insecurities and she didn't want to think about it anymore. "So what's up with Thor?"

Jane took a rather large sip of cava, "he's just not himself. He's still mourning his mother and he's hurt that his father reacted the way that he did, especially since he like, saved the entire universe and all. He thinks Odin is just acting that way since he's crazy with grief himself, but he won't let anyone near to help him. Thor feels helpless here."

"That's understandable." Darcy said, "but why are you so mad at Loki? I mean, besides the normal reasons."

Jane fiddled with her goat cheese croquettes, "I think he's convinced Thor that dating a mortal will only lead to more heartbreak for him. He keeps saying that our human lives are like heartbeats."

Steve spoke up, "He'll come around. He just needs a little time."

Jane shook her head, "I don't know what I was thinking … like I'm going to live happily ever after with Thor? His father compared me to a goat when I was on Asgard! Everyone hated me. That Xena woman kept giving me the stink-eye. It was only a matter of time before someone got to him."

Darcy swallowed a bite of stuffed pepper, "Where's he at now?"

"He's at my apartment. Hasn't come out of the spare room. Since I showed him how to use the remote, he's been watching all those _Game of Thrones_ DVDs you let me borrow."

"Well … at least he has good taste. If he's going to wallow, best to wallow in Westeros. At least there's lots of boobs." Darcy said. Steve choked a little on his nutella churros.

"Not making me feel better." Jane said, then drank more.

Darcy set her fork down. "Okay. You know what's going to make you feel better? Karaoke. Let's finish up and go to Winnie's in Chinatown. You can sing some Katy Perry, I'm gonna go with some Jay Z."

"Done! Let's do this!" Jane said, then finished her drink.

"Who's Jay Z?" Steve looked between the two girls, confused.

"You're gonna love it, Steve!" Darcy grinned, then rapped, badly. "If you having girl problems, I feel bad for you son, I got 99 problems but a bitch ain't one. Hit me!"

Steve kept eating his churros looking scared.

* * *

**AN: Next chapter will be Darcy/Loki-centric, I promise ... I just needed to get a few things established, then onto the fun stuff! Thanks for reading :-) I appreciate all of your reviews. p.s. this is un-beta'd, so if there are any typos, I apologize. If I stare at something for too long, I can't see it anymore. **


	8. Chapter 8

The evening had been a success in cheering Jane up and also in introducing Steve into the world of karaoke. As had been a tradition since the three started hanging out, the two girls made sure to walk into the establishment with arms hooked through each of Steve's arms, mainly to tease him because he then looked pimp like Tony Stark. After several shots of whipped cream vodka, they sang "The Boy is Mine" by Monica and Brandy and dedicated it to their number-one man for the evening, Cap Steve Rogers. Since they couldn't get him up to sing with them, they had made it their goal for the evening to try to turn him as bright red as possible. After singing their chosen solos of Katy Perry and Jay Z, Darcy and Jane then attracted quite a lot of attention as the two white girls went on to nail Warren G's "Regulate", not even having to look at the prompter. It was something they used to do when they were isolated in New Mexico to alleviate boredom when the scientific data trickled in at a snail's pace … they would learn classic hip hop and rap songs and come up with dance moves like they were thirteen years old. They waited, however, to bring out their "Shoop" rendition from Salt-N-Pepa for a very special occasion.

On the way home, as Steve tried to give the cabbie directions back to Stark Tower, the two girls went back and forth yelling the famous line from _Captain Phillips_ and their "captain movie night". Cap would tell the man to turn left and Jane would yell "look at me! … look at me! _I'm_ da Captain now … turn right!" Then Darcy would chime in, "no! _I'm_ da captain now … go straight!" The girls felt triumphant in never having seen Steve laugh so hard before.

The next morning was a tough one, however, and Darcy decided that the extra time on her hands from her lightened work-load had the potential to turn her into a lush. And even though the weekend was ahead of her, she decided to lay off the booze ... for a few days.

As she made her way down the hall to Loki's room again, this time with his brand new electronics, she really wasn't feeling the mental sharpness that she felt she needed when talking to him. He'd been proven to be a little hard to talk to and on top of that, sensitive … and she wasn't looking forward to teaching him all about Macs and iOS and what apps were best for earth-bound demigods. She could have gone for at least another pot of coffee first.

And being slightly out of it was probably why she reacted the way she did when Loki stood up from sitting at his desk as she walked into the room.

"_Damn_." Was all she could think to say when she saw him.

He was wearing one of the designer v-neck black t-shirts that Pepper had picked out along with the dark jeans Darcy had insisted on buying. He wore them with his new black belt with the nice silver buckle … and green converse. And God bless Pepper, she had certainly figured his exact measurements because they all fit _wonderfully_.

He looked confused by her use of the single word "damn", but then watched her set the boxes she was carrying down on the desk before she walked up to him. Just like she'd done a few months before when she saw Thor in London, she reached out and poked him in the stomach.

_Hard as a rock_, she thought. But unlike Thor, who knew Darcy meant nothing by it, Loki looked down at her bewildered, unused to being touched.

"So you're all muscley, too." She said, looking up at him. Where Thor was shaped like a beefy football player, Loki had it going on like a soccer player or a swimmer. All lean muscle and with a torso shaped like a delicious "V".

She stepped back to admire his new earthly persona.

"Loki, you look _fine_." She said with an approving grin. "Points for Darcy! … well, and Pepper. Very appropriate for 'casual Friday'."

Loki blinked a few times and said, "You look … suitable as well." He had thought she looked beautiful in her different colorful attire, but didn't want to give away too much of what he was thinking.

Darcy laughed. "Suitable? Thanks!" She was wearing jeans too, as she did on most Fridays, with her turquoise concho belt and one of her beloved dressy peasant tops that she'd gotten in New Mexico. The outfit did a damn fine job at accentuating her curves.

Loki noted her sarcasm, "'suitable' is comparable to 'fine', is it not?"

"Sure. Sure it is," Darcy said, chewing on her thumbnail. She had noticed before that he was what any hot-blooded woman would think of as attractive, but he had also been underneath all that armor, which she found pretty ridiculous. Outside of his Asgardian ensemble, the reindeer helmet and the slicked-back stringy hair, he was down-right hot. Tall, dark, pale and handsome ... and although it was an unconventional handsomeness, it didn't make him any less beautiful. All that, plus the fact that he'd lost the certain manic quality he'd possessed in all the pictures from his reports, and she suddenly saw her alien project in a new light. He was every bit as good-looking as Thor, Steve and Clint. She tucked that revelation away to think about later.

"Sorry, when I say 'fine' … it's Midgardian, or rather American slang for 'great'. You look great, Loki." She said, honestly. "I'm proud of you." Then she patted him on the shoulder and gave him a smirk.

"Ah." He smiled, turning his head to the side, a hint of an old sparkle in his eyes. He started to say something but Darcy had already turned back to her packages, her attention now on his new electronic toys.

"Alright Loki, down to business. Here's your new laptop and phone. I have to show you how to use these, okay? During your last visit, did you get a chance to see how these work?"

He thought for a second. His mind wasn't quite ready for talking about Midgardian technology, but he quickly adapted to Darcy's jumps in conversation. "I mainly had others who had the expertise that I needed." He motioned for them both to sit down.

"Oh, yeah … right, the whole mind-control thing." Darcy opened the laptop. "Well, now you're gonna have to learn. No faking. But you're smart, yeah? You should be able to pick this up."

She had set up his new MacBook and was explaining how google was like a mystic oracle that if used right, could explain the meaning of life when Steve popped his head in.

"Everything okay in here?" He asked. Darcy knew he was just trying to find out if they were watching movies anytime soon, but Loki visibly stiffened, probably offended that he needed to be checked on.

"Look at me!" Darcy said to Steve, pointing to her eyes.

"Ma'am." He instantly played along.

"Look at me."

"Sure."

"_I'm_ da captain now." It was hard for her to keep a straight face, but she did it.

There was a faint twitch on Steve's lips as he struggled not to laugh, but he nodded and then shut the door, leaving Darcy and Loki to themselves. Loki then looked at her like he had just noticed she had two heads.

Darcy chuckled inside, "it's just how I roll, Loki," she said, plugging in his new phone.

"Tell me, is the good captain one of the girls?" Loki asked, not quite understanding what had just transpired but guessed that it had to have been a joke … he just wasn't sure if it was at his expense.

"What do you mean?"

"I saw Thor earlier this morning and he mentioned that you and Jane had dinner with him last night. Your note mentioned 'girl-talk' … is the captain one of the girls?"

"Oh. Yeah. We were hanging out." She could sense that his questioning was starting to sound like he was being weird and sensitive, but then she thought that it might have just been because he didn't understand the kinds of dynamics that existed on Earth in the 21st century. From what Jane described, Asgard sounded downright medieval in some respects, so she decided to try and explain. "When me and Jane came back to The States after that whole evil space-elf thing, working for S.H.I.E.L.D. was a bit tough. It's hard to break into the clicks around here, you know? It's hard to make friends at first. It was the same way for Steve, being frozen for 70 years and all. The three of us started hanging out. He's very easy to talk to. He's definitely not a girl, but he's non-threatening and he's sincere."

Loki nodded like he understood but said, "I've certainly seen him making threats." He'd heard _many_ threats from the be-spandexed members of The Avengers over the past few days.

Darcy raised an eyebrow, "yeah, he's good at making threats against an enemy. And I'm sure he's most sincere about those too. But he's old-school and a gentleman. He'd never threaten a woman … unless maybe it was some bitch trying to take over the world and turn us all into slaves, like someone in this room who will remain nameless." She said looking toward the ceiling.

She had hit a nerve. Loki leaned forward, narrowed his blue-green eyes. "I never meant to enslave the whole of the human race in order to force them into constructing a shrine to myself, like some of your kings have done in the past. I only meant to rule as a benevolent god."

She was still too tired and hungover to care about being scared of him. "Hmmm, yeah … and yet you unleashed an alien invasion on a city still suffering PTSD from the September 11th terrorist attacks, that's real benevolent."

"I don't know what you're speaking of."

"Uh-huh. And that whole benevolence thing is proven _yet again_ as you admit to trying to rule an entire group of people that you never even bothered to learn about."

Loki stood, attempting to intimidate her, "humans slaughter each other daily without much thought to what it means for their 'people'. Was my attempt to rule so wrong? So different?" His voice was raised.

Darcy didn't flinch, "Earth isn't without its problems," she yelled right back … "but they're _Earth's_ problems to work out. They're not for some brat prince in search of a vanity project!"

Loki's eyes widened, anger bubbling to the surface. Darcy sensed this immediately and decided to try to defuse the situation as quickly as possible with her trademark flippancy.

She sat back, "besides Loki, if you wanted to be worshipped, you should have asked me first. Trying to be a king, or a god, or whatever, was the wrong way to go about it. Gods have been dead on this planet for half a century … or at least since the Beatles became popular."

He cocked his head to the side in confusion, diffused. "Wha … I'm sorry?" Loki furrowed his brows.

Darcy laughed. "You wanted to be loved, right?" Loki didn't answer but sat back down, perplexed. Shocked at being challenged by a mortal. Confused by her twists and turns in conversation.

She took this as permission to go on, "Earth's number-one most direct route to being hated is to go into politics. Have you ever listened to what people say about their kings? The countries that even still have a monarchy pretty much just see them as figure-heads. They don't actually rule anything … they're just rich and ride around waving at people while their subjects laugh about them in the tabloids. This ain't Asgard. There's no _one_ dude like Odin … many countries are democracies and they haven't had a king in centuries."

Loki took the challenge, "What is it they say of your president? That he's the 'leader of the free world'? That sounds like a dictator to me." He was sure that he had a good point.

Darcy stared at him unblinking, "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means. First, have you ever heard of checks and balances? He's not a dictator, he's been elected to his office. Second, have you ever read an American paper? Watched Fox News? People hate the president even more than they hate kings! No one is ever happy with _anything_ that he does, even the people who voted for him! Take a look at a picture of the president before he took office and a picture of him now. He looks like he's aged _twenty_ years. Anyone who wants to take on that kind of pressure has got to be absolutely insane," she said, then realized who she was talking to. "Oh. Yeah. Sorry, I guess you did kind of fall off the deep end there … no pun intended."

Loki stared at her blankly and then laughed. It was quite unexpected as he hadn't been sincerely motivated to laugh in what seemed like decades … this girl was patently bizarre. And invigorating.

Darcy wanted to get back to work, "can we go back to the Apple products? I have to teach you this stuff … you have a long weekend ahead of you in the lab with Dr. Banner."

He opened his arms in a sweeping motion that meant for her to proceed … "by all means." He smiled. He was astonished at the things she had given him to think on.

She went over the office suite, texting, using search engines, how to navigate web pages, email, internet shopping with his new company account, video conferencing, sending attachments, sending pictures, and the art of animated gifs for funzies, as she called it.

As she taught Loki the basics, she was secretly on her phone texting Jane and Steve, making sure that everything would be set up for later in the afternoon and the first installment of "alien invasion night", which she decided would be a surprise after she showed him around the floors he was now allowed to move freely on.

He followed her as she presented the break-room, showed him the snack machines, and pointed out several offices including her own. He was momentarily fascinated by a framed cross-stitched quote that said, "_The first thing I do in the morning is brush my teeth and sharpen my tongue_." She explained that her granny had tried to teach her how to sew when she was little and that cross-stitching was the only thing that stuck. She had chosen a Dorothy Parker quote because her witticisms reminded Darcy of the things her grandmother used to say.

Loki watched as she looked around her little office with pride, satisfied that she'd made it as comfortable as possible with the exception of the very important item of a candy dish. "It's just not an office without a big window and decent candy. I've got the window. I think i'll go shopping for the perfect dish over the weekend," she said, quite content. Loki followed her around, letting her think that she was going to come out of this acquaintance completely unscathed. He already had different plans.

He was surprised yet again when they returned to his room to find Jane and Steve Rogers busily arranging four office chairs from the boardroom in front of a new flat-screen TV and microwaving popcorn for Loki's introduction into the Midgardian entertainment known as motion pictures. They insisted on showing him a ridiculous yet curiously compelling American patriotic movie called _Independence Day_ about an invasion of what appeared to be stick-insects in slimy armor.

The humans were in strange high spirits for being in the room of a known villain … and as he observed the three friends in their easy camaraderie, it was obvious that they shared a hundred private jokes that only they understood. He caught a fleeting memory of what it was like in the best moments back on Asgard after a victorious battle over feasts that lasted for weeks, tankards of ale, dancing, games, wine, and constant tales of conquering the enemy. Asgardians lived for these extreme moments and events. These human friends were just as satisfied, however, with a simple afternoon of watching a fantasy tale of an otherworldly invasion while drinking carbonated sugar-water and eating salty air-popped corn. It was all very alien to him and unnerving to witness. It also seemed as though they had made a conscious decision to be civil to him. They were not exactly warm, but they were also not openly hostile. It confused him.

As Darcy stood and recited the climactic speech that she had no doubt heard a hundred times before, Loki watched Jane be reduced to tears of laughter. He watched the good captain grin from ear to ear as his usual insufferable cares and concerns were stripped away for just a little while. He wouldn't admit it at the time, but he began to see what was so alluring about these humans to Thor, why he longed to be in their company. There was no pretense. It seemed as though they could take simple pleasure in just merely being alive and in each other's company. He supposed it was what you had to do when you had around eight decades to live your life instead of around five thousand years like him and his brother.

After Steve and Jane had left and before leaving for the day, Darcy left several discs for Loki in case he wanted to watch them later. She explained that she wouldn't be back until Monday but that he had to work in the lab on Saturday and Sunday because Dr. Banner was lame and didn't believe in weekends.

"I've given you a crash course in American technology, Loki, do you think you can handle it? You can text me if you have questions … just not at like, 4 a.m. okay? Be reasonable. And not during the Saints game on Sunday." Darcy didn't answer her phone during football games.

"I'll try to keep that in mind." He said, the wheels turning in his head.

"Just remember, S.H.I.E.L.D. probably has all your stuff bugged, so don't do anything stupid like google 'how to throw over a government'. And also, don't go looking up anything like 'horny sluts with strap-ons' unless you want Fury to know what your sexual fetishes are. Got it?" Loki laughed quietly and nodded.

"And hey, Loki," Darcy said as she walked out the door for the evening, "_We will not go quietly into the night! We will not vanish without a fight! We're going to live on! We're going to survive! Today, we celebrate our Independence Day!_"

"Woman, you are positively unhinged!" He said after her.

"You know it!" He could hear her yell back at him as she walked down the hallway.

He sat back and shook his head. Now that Darcy had mentioned it, there was no way he wasn't going to be able to _not_ look up 'horny sluts with strap-ons'.


	9. Chapter 9

Darcy helped Jane to coax Thor out of the spare room by helping her to make pancakes on Saturday morning. The astrophysicist was brilliant when it came to science, clueless when it came to cooking. Darcy, having spent much of her childhood in New Orleans, knew her way around a kitchen from watching her southern grandmother. She had also spent a little time cooking at a restaurant in the French Quarter during breaks from school. Since to her, making breakfast from a Bisquick box was sacrilegious, she made buttermilk pancakes from scratch with a praline sauce. As she cooked up some bacon to go along with the meal, Thor came right out as soon as the aroma hit his nose.

"Hey there, Sleeping Beauty. I knew bacon would break the spell ... works every time." Darcy said, piling some up on a plate for him. Jane then set down a big mug of coffee for Thor with lots of cream and sugar. For the first time in days, he cracked a smile. "Thank you ladies," he said as he sat down at Jane's kitchen table to eat most of the stack Darcy had made, only leaving one pancake each for the girls. They were not surprised.

As Darcy ate her pancake and piece of bacon that was left, she said, "ready for a weekend of football?" She had devised a plan with Jane the night before to lift Thor's spirits by introducing him into the world of American sports. They thought maybe he needed something fun and competitive. It had the potential to be dangerous, as they didn't want to one day lose him to fantasy football, but they had to try something. Jane let him in on the itinerary … "we've got a case of beer in the fridge and we're going to watch the big college games today to teach you all the rules. Then tomorrow, we're going to the bar to watch the Saints, Darcy's team, and of course, then the New York Giants game later, cool? This is what normal weekends in America consist of in the fall ... watching tons of football. Drinking beer. Eating wings."

Thor only nodded while he chewed, but at least he also attempted to smile.

"So what episode of _Game of Thrones_ are you on?" Darcy was curious as to what an Asgardian thought of the story.

Thor swallowed and shook his head, "poor Ned." He said.

"Ah. End of first season. Better get used to it, buddy." Darcy told him.

"Who do you suppose I would be, if I were in this fantasy world?" Thor asked before taking a big bite of pancake topped with bacon.

"Nope. I'm not touching that one. I don't want to give anything away." She also didn't want to compare him to someone who wasn't long for the world of Westeros.

"It's okay! I want to know. Who would I be?"

"Ummmm … maybe a little Khal Drogo because he was a fierce warrior and all muscley … perhaps a little Jaime Lannister—without the whole incest thing, of course—because he's a jerk in the beginning and then sort of changes because of a few things that happen to him. That's all I got, Thor. No more spoilers!"

"Who would Loki be?" He asked.

"Errrr, I don't know. A little Tyrion, a little Jon Snow … and probably a nice helping of Littlefinger."

Thor nodded, "I wish we had Tyrion at court, Loki would have then had a friend in mischief. He might not have felt so out of place."

Darcy smiled … "you do realize that Tyrion is not a real person and Peter Dinklage is an actor?"

Thor shrugged and then set his fork down, finishing his bite … he looked at Darcy and Jane, "I wanted to speak with you about Loki, actually. Early yesterday morning, he summoned me to S.H.I.E.L.D. and I went, because Loki never asks me for anything."

He had Jane and Darcy's full attention. "I'm not exactly his favorite person and he certainly isn't mine these days, but I still feel as if my brother is in there somewhere, and I believe he's closer to the surface this day more so than he's been these past few difficult years … so even with my anger at him for what he did, concealing himself in such a way … I still went. And do you know what I found?"

The girls looked at each other and shook their heads. "I found him as concerned with how he looked as Fandral on the eve of the spring festival. He had every piece of clothing he's acquired strewn about his quarters. He had asked me to come over there because he said I knew how to put Midgardian clothing together better than he. Loki Odinson, my brother, admitted that I was better than him at _something_." Thor smiled big, the first toothy grin they'd seen since he'd gotten there. "Now, why do you suppose this is, ladies?"

Darcy shrugged her shoulders … but Jane turned her head to her friend and said, "Darcy."

"What?" Darcy looked at them confused.

"He was staring at you hardcore yesterday during the movie, please tell me you noticed that." Jane said.

"He was not."

"Darcy." Thor looked to her. "I haven't known my brother to pursue women as sport like Fandral or some of the other warriors at court in Asgard … he has always been known to be a gentleman to a lady, strangely enough, given his recent history. But it has been a good while since I've seen him inspired. I've suspected for some time that he'd been hurt in that regard, although I am not sure how."

Darcy spoke up, extremely uncomfortable, "I have no idea why you're telling me this. I've just been teaching him how to email. That's it." She took a big gulp of coffee, wishing there was a bottle of Bailey's she could spike it with.

Jane jumped in. "Stop it. You always do this. You ignore everyone. You're oblivious to the good ones who are obviously interested and keep them in the friend-zone. You find the _one_ guy in your acquaintance that is unattainable and you set your mind on him, knowing that nothing is going to come out of it … so you won't have to actually to get close to anyone. I thought maybe you had gotten over it with Ian, but I was wrong. It was the traumatic experience that brought you two together."

Darcy looked at Jane, shocked. "That's not true! Not all of it anyway … the Ian part might be true."

"Darcy! You pick the most unfeeling and stoic guy in the whole building to have a crush on! You think Ian got on your nerves with his finger tapping? What would happen if you dated a guy that _never_ smiled."

"Who are you talking about?" Thor asked, looking between them.

"No one!" Darcy said to Thor, then looked at Jane. "I like him because I don't think he'd be some kind of lovey-dovey idiot. I hate that shit. It makes me want to puke."

"Love is not a weakness." Jane said as a matter of fact. Darcy suspected that she was saying this to Thor as much as she was saying it to her.

"I don't understand what any of this has to do with Loki. He's just part of my job." Darcy crossed her arms.

Thor realized that she didn't want to see it just yet … perhaps later she would realize, after Loki had begun pulling at her pigtails, so to speak. "I for one, am glad of it. Now he will know firsthand what it's like to care for a mortal. He won't be so smug in his whispers in my ear about our differences. Let him get a taste. I welcome it." Thor smiled as he went back to his pancakes.

"Dude." Darcy looked at Thor like he was as nutty as his brother. "Loki thinks I am a peasant. He said so himself. I'm _nothing special_."

Thor swallowed, "when Loki goes on rants like that it is more a reflection of himself than anyone else. I do not think he meant those things. He was just being a horse's ass."

"Yeah, I know all about him and his horse's ass."

Thor choked, "that story was all started by some perverse Midgardian conjurer of tall tales centuries ago."

"Sure." Darcy knew the horse story was in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s "myth" category, but it was too funny not be talked about … and laughed at.

Jane spoke up, "how can you be supportive of this, Thor? Loki is insane and a _criminal_."

"Loki is difficult, but he has not been himself. I do not think he's insane any longer."

"That doesn't make me feel better." Jane pushed her plate away and Thor picked up the pieces of bacon she left.

"No one is a saint, Jane … I certainly was not one before we met. If I can change, I must think that Loki can too. Darcy might be good for him."

Jane was baffled. "This is preposterous. I can't believe you're talking like this. He's the guy that tried to kill you! He's the guy that tried to enslave the entire human race and you're reaction is _nobody's perfect_? Thor shrugged and drank his coffee. "Loki also helped save your life, Jane."

"Fine. He saved my life. That doesn't make him good for Darcy."

Darcy was tired of them discussing her like she wasn't there. "Jane, thanks for your concern, but I'm confused … were you not just trying to convince me to stop obsessing over you-know-who and resign myself to settling down with whatever psycho dude happens to cross my path?"

Jane took her attention off of Thor and looked to her friend. "I was just saying that you should open up your eyes and see what's in front of you, stop acting like there are not awesome guys who could make you happy. I was thinking of someone more like Steve … not Loki."

"_Steve_?! No way, man. He's still pining over that 90-year-old woman. It would be weird. Besides, I stopped taking virginities way back in high school. I don't have the patience to train anymore dudes. I need one off the rack. Ready to go."

Thor then chose to casually speak up, "Loki would be a polished and attentive lover."

"WOW OH MY GOD THANKS FOR THAT, THOR!" Darcy's eyes were wide, "can we watch football now?" She looked to Thor, "there's nothing going on with Loki," she looked to Jane, "and there is nothing going on with Steve … or Ian for that matter, or anyone. Jesus, y'all are making me feel kind of slutty talking about all these guys."

Jane put down her mug. "You know that's not true. I just want you to be happy. If you're happy pining away after Clint, so be it."

"Jane!"

Thor looked to Darcy and laughed.

"Don't say a word, Thor!"

"Very well, Darcy … but why favor him if you do not want him to know it?" She couldn't admit it, but Thor had a point.

"Clint would never look at me twice." Darcy's face was bright-red with embarrassment. "He probably sees me as some kind of silly little sister-type. Natasha is my superior officer, it could never happen. It's just a little crush! I think it's the cross-bow thing. It's hot."

"Exactly." Jane said. "No chance of getting close. No chance of getting hurt." Darcy was certain that she was talking to both her and Thor again … but she wasn't going to call her out on it at the moment. She didn't want to have this conversation so early in the day and she certainly didn't want to have it in front of Thor. "Wow, you guys. This is a little intense for 11 a.m. on a Saturday. I'll take everything you've said under advisement." Darcy said as she got up, went to Jane's fridge and took out a Miller Lite.

"The LSU game starts in an hour." She walked over to the TV and turned it to ESPN. "I'll be over here on the couch when you want to learn about the Midgardian obsession known as football, Thor." Darcy popped open the can. She'd take that break from drinking starting after the weekend. These people were freaking her out.

* * *

xxxxxxxxxx

As Jane and Darcy suspected, Thor took to football like he'd been playing it all his life. After watching all the big college games on Saturday, he sat and watched _Sports Center_ replays well into the night and was pretty much an expert by the time they all met up at the corner bar to watch the Saints on Sunday. He wasn't the only one who apparently did some studying though, because as soon as the game started, Loki began texting.

As a rule, Darcy only answered texts from two people during a Saints game, her friends Jules and Scott in New Orleans. Their back and forth commentary had her attention every bit as much as the actual game did. It made her feel like they were all together at their favorite bar back home, cheering on their team. This particular game, however, she was treated to Loki asking questions she suspected he already knew the answers to.

He would text things like, "_did number 09 mean to throw that ball right to the other team_?" … when the quarterback threw an interception … or, "_your team was supposed to make it across the yellow line, correct_?" … whenever they failed to make a first down. It became infuriating.

As the game went on though, it turned into such an intense nail-biter, that she actually became engaged in going back and forth with him. When Drew Brees threw a pass to Jimmy Graham for a touchdown, the three friends cheered and she texted Loki, "_BOOOOOOM! THAT'S how it's done on Midgard, BITCH_!

Darcy beamed and then looked over at Thor and Jane finally relaxing around each other over a pitcher, enjoying being together. It looked like he might be starting to cheer up a little bit. It did seem nice to have someone to share in the fun with. Companionship. The chance for love.

Darcy had a bit of a hard time believing in love.

She decided not to mention Loki's texting … she didn't want to have another conversation like the one from the previous morning. She looked back down at her phone.

"_It's about time your players caught something. They drop the ball more than they catch it_." Loki texted.

"_I hate you_."

"_Not for long_."

She stared at her phone for a second and then tossed it on the bar upside down like it shocked her. No more texts for the day.

* * *

**AN: Thanks for reading and for all the wonderful feedback. It keeps me writing on the regular since I'm a horrible procrastinator. I know this chapter was a bit short, but I needed to introduce Thor into the story. Still setting things up. Next chapter will put the "tricks" in Tasertricks ;-)**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: **I've been trying to stick as close to cannon as possible (though kind of ignoring that end-credits stinger from Thor: TDW) while giving Darcy an insanely bigger role to play for this fic, obviously ... but the new _Captain America_ movie is seriously fucking with me. I mean, it was an incredible movie and I loved loved loved it, but it kind of totally changed the game. _Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D._ is also fucking with me. If you've watched them, I'm sure you know what I'm talking about with a certain development pertaining to S.H.I.E.L.D. itself. And I know this is my fic and therefore can make up my own rules ... but I'm a writer and I get all weird, which I'm sure a lot of you know all about, being writers yourselves. And I'm going with the Marvel Cinematic Universe here and not the comics ... of which if I tried to incorporate elements of, would give me an even bigger headache.

ANYWAY.

This is why I haven't updated in a few days. Still trying to figure out what I'm going to do. Hopefully this chapter will help smooth things over ;-)

p.s. In my world, Marvel = real. DC = fiction.

* * *

Monday morning training sessions were always a bitch, but if Darcy was going to be a legit S.H.I.E.L.D. agent instead of just someone they hired because she knew too much about aliens and gods and just how close the world came to being destroyed (twice), she needed to be dedicated. Natasha, as her S.O., had been overseeing her learning of hand to hand combat through various kinds of martial arts. Darcy wasn't the most athletic person in the world, having not much interest in sports growing up, but she had learned to love the training and how it made her feel. Stronger, more resilient and flexible. She was beginning to feel like she could properly defend herself against a formidable foe if need be, not that she was going to stop carrying around her taser anytime soon.

As the Black Widow was helping her protege with her punching technique, Darcy decided that now was as good a time as any to ask for some sisterly spy advice. She was just having trouble talking about Loki after Thor's ridiculous observations.

"Soooooooo ... I heard you were tasked with questioning Loki during his capture on the helicarrier?" Darcy was able to finally spit it out while taking a swing at her volunteer target.

Natasha was all business. "You have to visualize punching through his face as you swing, it helps with the follow-through. And yes, I interrogated Loki … it was quite the experience." The Black Widow rolled her eyes … Loki had said some really weird things (_I am burdened with glorious purpose_?) … and some really awful things.

"I need some advice." Darcy said, taking a rest.

"Shoot."

"I need to know how I can keep the upper hand with him."

Natasha nodded, understanding completely. Being an agent and a woman had its advantages, but it also had its disadvantages … meaning, most of them had to work twice as hard as men to be taken seriously. Loki didn't seem like the type that would see a woman as lethal. Men who underestimated her though always ended up losing. "Everyone has their weakness. Lucky for us, we already know what many of his weaknesses are … but Loki is also pretty good at determining what makes you tick and he doesn't think twice about using it against you. You must have a thick skin around him."

Darcy nodded and resumed punching while her S.O. continued, "You keep the upper hand by always staying a step ahead. Have a strategy, but keep your options open if things change. Trick him into confiding in you by letting him think he's getting to you … but don't lie unless you have to, stick to the truth as closely as possible so you won't have to keep track of every single thing you've said. He'll start giving you the information you need. Men will always spill if they think they're talking to a vulnerable pretty face."

This was sounding positively wicked. Darcy loved it. Plus, she was elated that Natasha thought of her as a "pretty face", seeing as how the Black Widow was breathtakingly beautiful. "How do I let him think he's getting to me?" She asked.

"Well, you usually start by confiding just a little … at least at first, to get him to start talking about himself. Don't get too personal but try to relate to him. Make him think you understand where he's coming from. That's when they start to give everything." Natasha thought for a second, "are you thinking that Loki's hiding something?"

"Not necessarily. I just want to have the upper hand just in case." Darcy said, hoping she wouldn't be prodded further.

"In case of what?"

"In case he does have some sort of diabolical plan." _Like trying to act as if he's mac-ing on me_, Darcy thought.

Natasha nodded, "You need to stay detached. He can be mean, you've seen it. He can say very cruel things, I know this first hand. You cannot let it get to you. You must learn how to brush it off."

Darcy remembered her tears after their initial meeting. "I know I'm sensitive. I try not to be."

Her mentor smiled, "The good thing is … until you can train your reactions, you can turn your weakness into a strength. You can use your sensitivity to your advantage. If your enemies think you're sensitive, they'll be too quick to judge you as weak, and then you'll be able to take them by surprise much easier."

The advice made Darcy feel much more comfortable. "Nice. Thank you, Natasha. Can I be you when I grow up?"

Agent Romanov frowned slightly, "you don't need to be. You're coming into your own quite well, Darcy."

She looked down, unused to such compliments from such accomplished people … "I'm glad someone has faith in me."

Natasha shook her head, "there's that sensitivity thing. Confidence, Darcy. Sometimes the only thing between you and the enemy's triumph is plain old confidence. Always be more confident than them."

Darcy nodded. "I'll work on it, I promise. Thank you."

"Remember," the Black Widow advised. "Stay detached. Never empathize. It's part of the job."

After wrapping up her training session, Darcy showered in the women's locker room and changed into her work clothes. While perfecting her technique, Natasha insisted that she train wearing proper spy-wear … which consisted of skin-tight black pants that somehow held secret compartments that she had to practice grabbing things out of as quickly as possible, and a skin-tight black jacket with even more compartments over an even tighter shirt. To her amazement, the ensemble was incredibly comfortable, the material being stretchy, soft and light without a trace of restriction. She was sure you couldn't just get these outfits at Old Navy and that they were incredibly expensive and made with the best materials, but they also left almost nothing to the imagination, and Darcy wasn't used to showing off her figure.

Developing early had been more of a curse than a blessing, and she never got over feeling self-conscious about having larger than average breasts, but working for S.H.I.E.L.D. was forcing her to get over her body issues. She had been compelled to toss her over-sized comforting shirts and sweaters that she liked to hide under for more figure-flattering professional attire. She had been trying to get used to the change, but the official spy uniform still felt extremely uncomfortable. Natasha kept telling her that large perfect breasts were an asset not many people were blessed with and could be used to a wonderful advantage … but Darcy still wasn't completely sold. She felt much more at home in her not-so-skin-tight black pants and retro flowy blouse. With her retro frames, she looked like she could have stepped out of a black and white episode of _The Dick Van Dyke Show_.

She took the elevator up to her floor from the basement training facility and rounded the corner to her little office. She turned the knob and tried to step inside but an avalanche of green M&Ms spilled into the hallway as about three feet of candy had been disturbed by the opening of her office door.

"The fuck?" Darcy dropped her handbag which housed the new candy dish that she'd bought over the weekend. It was a small antique glass bowl that she found at a second-hand shop and was planning on filling it with Reese's Pieces later … though it didn't look like she'd have to actually procure any candy after all … but this wasn't exactly what she had in mind.

"Fucking. Loki."

* * *

"Loki, get your fucking ass down here and help me clean this up." Darcy had called him immediately after finding her payback in the form of hundreds, no … probably thousands, of little green candies.

She could hear him sighing dramatically into his iPhone. "I'm really very busy. They keep me working in here like a slave, ironically … probably so that I can't get into any mischief."

Darcy took her phone from her ear and stared at it for a second. "You are the most hilarious dude I've ever heard of. How did you even do this? How did security not see this happening? What in the living hell, man? Why would you do this?"

"You said that every office needed candy. I was only trying to help … trying to return the favor for being such a wonderful guide of all things Midgardian." He said cooly.

"Whoa dude, I just pulled a muscle in my eye from rolling it so hard. Now get down here and help me clean this shit up!" Other nearby agents were starting to congregate around the mess and her cheeks were flushed magenta with embarrassment.

"Have an underling do it."

"Asshole! You don't do shit like this and expect a working person to clean up after you. Have you no respect?"

"It's what they're paid for, is it not? You are simply giving them something to do."

"Oh my god. You don't make messes for other people to clean up, dick!" Darcy was at a loss.

"I'm not sure what you just called me, but by the inflection in your voice, I'm guessing that it's something inappropriate. How very unladylike. You really shouldn't get so riled up." He condescended.

Darcy hated when guys did that … said shit like, "_calm down_" or "_don't get your panties in a twist_" … it was just a way for them to imply that women were hysterical nags. The feminist in her didn't get mad, she got even.

"Oh, I'm not riled up. Not in the least." She hung up on him.

It took the rest of the morning and half the afternoon to clean up the office. Several agents and their assistants took turns helping her out, which she was grateful for … and even helped to get her better acquainted with them. Fortunately, no one seemed all that mad, thankful that Loki had done something relatively harmless instead of something hurtful, though were not sure they wanted to see repeat performances. In the end, they'd filled several big boxes with M&Ms to be put outside with the trash. It seemed a terrible waste, but you just didn't know where the candies had been. Darcy was half-afraid they were all laced with LSD, though she didn't really think Loki knew what that was. She wasn't taking any chances though as he could have learned anything over the weekend with access to Wikipedia and Google. Oh well, she thought … maybe hipster dumpster divers from Brooklyn would like to test them out.

By the end of the day, her office was pretty much back to normal ... it had been an incredible waste of time and she'd probably be finding green M&Ms in her desk drawers and potted plants for weeks, but the whole floor had gotten a good laugh out of it. She sat and thought about how she could get him back … rule number one for alien tricksters, don't mess with a girl who knew computers.

Darcy had put a program on Loki's computer that would allow her remote access to his desktop, so she brought it up on her MacBook and entered in various porn sites on his browser. She also looked up "_hot guys with eye-patches_" on Google and left "_broke straight boys. com _" open for him to find and set it as his homepage. Served him right. Whoever kept track of his internet history was going to get a good laugh … either that or be thoroughly creeped out.

At around 6, after staying past office hours to get some actual work done, Loki knocked on her door frame, which he then leaned on casually. He was wearing a green V-neck this time along with his jeans. Darcy wondered if she had ever told Thor that she found V-necks incredibly hot on guys but couldn't imagine when she would have. She decided to blame Thor anyway for his stupid fashion advice.

Loki spoke up with his velvety voice. Really, it was like the audible equivalent of dark chocolate gelato. "Can we call a truce for the evening? After all, I only gave you candy. I'm quite sure that Nicholas Fury now thinks I prefer the company of men." He said while smirking. A very irritating smirk, noted Darcy.

Darcy opened her mouth to say something but he raised his hand to stop her, "and before you ask … no, I don't prefer the company of men." He said this as his green eyes stared at her in such a way as to convey the message that he liked to fuck women. A lot.

Darcy smiled at his denial at being gay, "Not that there's anything wrong with that," she noted. He then looked slightly confused, which was becoming a common thing for them. She supposed that making the I.T. department think Loki was into dudes (and with some serious kinks) meant they were even for the time being … "what do you need?"

He gracefully walked inside her office and sat in the chair across the desk. "I was wondering if you would like to order some more food? Watch another one of your discs? I have quite a bit more learning to do, I gather." He said innocently.

She wasn't sure, but it sounded like a date to her, or at least as much of a date as he could have while being bound to the building. It was Darcy's time to be confused. She was supposed to be helping him assimilate, but he was making this seem a little too personal, what with the candy thing and the dinner thing and the movie thing … although the candy had been an incredible pain in her ass. This proposition sounded a little too much like fun … they were not supposed to be having fun. It was a job. Still, she hadn't had time to eat all day, having had to dig candy out of her office for most of it … and she needed an opportunity to start implementing Natasha's advice from earlier in the morning.

"Alright," she sighed. "What sounds good?" She asked like he knew what his options were.

"Whatever it was that you ordered before was tolerable." Loki said.

"Tolerable? That doesn't exactly sound like a four-star review."

"It was an improvement from the frozen boxes." This got a laugh from Darcy.

"Word," she said, "Hmmm, how about Italian. It's cheesy and starchy yummy comfort food. I think I need some of that after today, and burning all those calories shoveling M&Ms out of my office."

"I was only trying to help." He said quite wickedly, giving one of his infuriating shrugs. She momentarily fantasized about chopping his arms off like Michonne did to her zombie pets in _The Walking Dead_.

Darcy smiled sweetly, "sure you were."

She then dialed up her favorite Manhattan pizza joint and ordered a pineapple and bacon thin-crust pizza, which was her preference, and ordered the alien a basic pepperoni. She didn't know what would be Loki-appropriate toppings as he hadn't been very good at expressing if he liked something or not. She suspected he just didn't want to admit that Midgardian things weren't so bad, but he was good at hiding it with his princely snobbery.

They went to his room to wait for the pizza and pick out a movie. She had left several blu-rays with the alien invasion theme plus _Man of Steel_, since it kind of fit into the category.

They sat in front of the TV. "How about this one? It's a fictional superhero movie. You might like it," Darcy said.

Loki frowned. "Why would you think that?"

She gave a half-smile, "it has lots of explosions. Dudes tend to like things that go splode. Besides, Superman is an American icon … plus, he's an alien. Just don't get any ideas from General Zod."

"How long do we have to continue to watch movies about beings from other planets who visit your world? I'm not missing what you're trying to do." Loki said.

"I'm not trying to do anything. Captain America got captain movies … you get alien movies. I just thought it would be fun." Darcy said truthfully. "I could always introduce you to the 'chick flick' if you want something different."

Loki looked at her for a few moments mulling over what "chick flick" must mean … "we can watch this Superman, then."

"Would you like to invite a few other people? I could call Thor and Jane?" Darcy thought it might be less like a date with the addition of friends.

"No, please." Loki said immediately. "I've had quite enough of Thor and Jane for awhile."

Darcy frowned. "I know that Thor isn't your best bud these days, but what do you have against Jane?" She wondered if he really was trying to convince his brother to keep a distance from her friend.

Loki looked down and fiddled with the blu-ray case, "One viewing with her will suffice for a little while, I think." She could tell he wasn't going to say anything else about it so she dropped the subject. For now.

She took the disc from him and popped it in the player after the pizza was delivered, and this time, Loki was much more vocal during the movie. He seemed really impressed with the depiction of Krypton, wondering how it was that humans could create such interesting make-believe worlds with their imaginations but not in reality. Darcy really didn't have a good answer for that but told him that movies were an art form and that artists always had the most colorful creations.

Later, during the destruction of Metropolis, Loki seemed confused, "I don't understand why the 'Battle of New York' was such a crime," he mused … "if humans destroyed a whole city to create this tale."

Darcy laughed, "It's not real, Loki. Most of it was done with computers. The real explosions were done on movie sets." He still looked puzzled.

"You don't have anything like movies where you're from? I don't understand how your technology can sometimes be so much more advanced than ours and then so far behind in other ways." She said.

Loki smirked, "I suppose it's a difference of what's important to the people. Humans seem to be preoccupied with these methods of storytelling that allows one to escape into an artist's world. Asgardians care about developing their own world." Darcy found that funny, as she doubted that women were even allowed to vote. Or that _anyone_ was allowed to vote. Asgard didn't sound too developed.

"Sure. And your chosen mode of communication is probably by a raven … while I have to show you how to dial a phone number. And from what I hear about Asgardians, it seems like all they care about are battles and the feasts after the battles." She was tired of his superiority complex.

"Humans love their battles."

Darcy shook her head, "not so much anymore. I think you'd find that the more progressive humans look for other ways to solve problems. Violence should be a last resort."

"Then why the obsession with bigger and better weapons like Stark's, or the ones that S.H.I.E.L.D. was developing by studying the power of the Tesseract?"

"I think they just want to be prepared. You know, in case we have to encounter some kind of alien invasion or something. I think you might remember one." She raised an eyebrow at him.

"I think you want to see only the best in your people. It's incredibly naïve."

"And I think you want to jump on any opportunity to think of humans as beneath you. And I think that's incredibly arrogant and misguided." Darcy shook her head. "I don't really feel like fighting today. Do you at least like the pizza? Please just admit that it's the most amazing thing ever so we can move on with our lives."

Loki noted that she liked to do this … quickly change the subject so that she could win an argument. He would let her do it … for now. He smiled and leaned back in his comfy office chair that had been left from the previous movie viewing. "Very well. The pizza is quite good, though I prefer yours. I'm not sure I like these red discs on mine." He flicked the pieces of meat off his slice.

"You don't like pepperoni?" Darcy gave a Loki-shrug, "that's cool, it's just the most popular kind of pizza. I like the pineapple with bacon because I like sweet and salty things. Gotta have balance." Loki looked at her a little too long for her liking and then changed the subject again, "I like this 'movie' as you call it, but for someone with so many powers, this Superman is an incredibly boring individual. He's even more boring than Thor, if that's possible."

Darcy thought about it, "maybe he was just too well-adjusted from being brought up in Kansas and all. Too wholesome."

Loki turned his head and looked at nothing in particular, "His adoptive parents loved him. Treated him as if he was extraordinary. No choice but to be anything but boring."

Darcy didn't realize when she put the movie on, the parallels that Loki might notice … a baby from a different world feeling different and strange in his new land … and she wasn't sure if she should push him into talking about it. This could backfire, badly.

She decided to go for it, thinking of her morning conversation with the Black Widow. "You think that your adoptive parents didn't love you? I've heard differently." Loki said nothing, just set his jaw in a hard line.

Darcy decided to confide a little, "I was raised by my natural parents … but I don't think they loved me very much. Everyone has their issues." She told the truth.

Loki turned and scowled at her. "I doubt that. You play around as if you haven't a care in the world. What could your parents have ever done to you, Midgardian." he said with a chill in his voice.

_Ouch. Watch how I stay unaffected, Asgardian._

"You really want to know?"

Loki's scowl softened and he shrugged. "I don't have anything better to do these days, so why not?" He tried to sound nonchalant but Darcy could tell that he was curious. She knew when someone was paying attention as she had lived a lot of her life with people who didn't pay attention at all.

She thought for a few moments about what to say. "At least your parents were together," she began. "My parents divorced when I was two. They remarried and all of a sudden I had step-siblings and eventually half-siblings. My mom didn't have anymore kids of her own … she acquired two step-kids with her new husband, but I think she was better off as a stepmom. I'm not sure she should have ever had a child. She's very cold. Married to her work, her research. Never satisfied with anything, especially what I do with my life. Sometimes I doubt she's a real person, more like robot. I'm not even sure she has actual feelings."

Loki peered at her for a long pause, probably trying to discern if she was telling the truth. "And what of your father?" He asked. It was apparent that Loki had more problems with fathers than with mothers.

Darcy took a deep breath, it wasn't the easiest thing to talk about. "My dad is different. He's warm, when he's around. Funny and charismatic, like a southern gentleman out of a novel ... but he's not the type of guy to be very attentive to his kids. He's another workaholic, a civil rights lawyer, always caring about other people. He's been married three times because he's always caring about other people and is never at home. I also have three half-brothers and a half-sister stretched between two stepmothers, which seriously divided his time when he was actually with us."

She thought to stop at that, but kept on talking, telling him things that she hadn't even told Jane. Confide a little, indeed. "I decided that I should major in political science and eventually go to law school so I'd have something in common with my father … so he'd maybe pay attention. He told me once that I was good at arguing, and it was actually one of the only times he noticed that I was good at something … but all it ended up being was a waste of time and money. I hated political science. So I ended up with a few pieces of paper that cost over $100,000 and are totally worthless."

Loki leaned towards her. "But did they ever lie to you?" He asked cooly.

Darcy thought about it for a second. "No. I'll give them that. They never lied to me. But I always had to figure out everything on my own. I did a better job at some things more so than others."

"Which parent raised you?" Loki asked.

Darcy laughed. "I raised myself, but I mostly stayed with my dad in New Orleans because I loved it there. My grandmother was more of a parent. I'd stay with my mom during holiday breaks sometimes, but after awhile I didn't like being around her. She's … cold. My stepdad is a drip." She stopped there, unable to talk about her mom anymore.

"That's enough about them," Darcy waved them away. "I was always closer to my friends. I have a few in New Orleans that are closer to me than siblings … and that's how it is with Jane … and Eric. I see them as my family." That's it, she thought. No more.

As she was done confiding, and Loki had decided to stare at her, probably in order to determine whether or not she was lying, Darcy decided to push.

"Was your mother warm?" Jane had described Thor and Loki's mother as being indescribably beautiful and kind.

He looked away, finally. "She was." Loki said softly.

Natasha was right. He did spill, with those two words. Darcy looked down. She suddenly wished she wouldn't have asked. She was starting to feel guilty for getting personal in an attempt to extract information in order to have the upper hand. Loki was obviously still devastated by his mother's death. This whole thing was humanizing him and she desperately wanted to keep him at arm's length … she didn't want to see him as a person with actual feelings.

_Well, this is awkward._

"I'm sorry, Loki," Darcy simply said. He looked so sad and so alone sitting there that she couldn't help but feel for him. Compassion that she wasn't supposed to feel. She was sure that no one had even hugged him or tried to comfort him after his own mother died. She took a deep breath and reached over to squeeze his hand that was gripping the armrest of his chair. It was a common human gesture to express sympathy for someone who was grieving.

He squeezed her hand slightly back and then abruptly let go and stood with his back to her.

_Shit. Is he crying?_

"Loki? Are you okay?" Darcy really felt awful now. Weird. She felt bad for a terrorist.

He kept standing for a few moments and then turned back around. His face looked entirely pleasant and unaffected. A mask. "Perhaps we can next try that movie with the little Yoda man," he said, abruptly changing the subject. It was something she could relate to. Darcy was also great subject changer.

She smiled, another mask. "Of course! _Star Wars_ is pretty amazing stuff. I'll bring the movies tomorrow."

She stood up, "It's getting late and I've still got some work to do at home."

Loki nodded.

It was of course, a lie … but she wanted to get out of there. And either he didn't detect the lie or he didn't feel the need to bring it up so that he could be alone as well.

"Good night." Darcy said genuinely as she picked up her handbag. "Enjoy the rest of the pizza. Taco Tuesday is tomorrow … ever had tequila?"

He looked up at her curiously, "I can't say that I have."

"Hmmm … and yet another reason as to why Earth is better than Asgard … tequila. Rest up."

She gave him a smile and a wave and walked out the door with Natasha's words in her ear … _stay detached. Never start empathizing. It's part of the job._

_Part of the job. Part of the job. Part of the job._


	11. Chapter 11

The evening's little heart to heart with the God of Mischief was keeping Darcy's mind occupied, so much so that she was having trouble sleeping. More like tossing and turning. Why was she feeling compassion for him when logic kept telling her that he was a bad guy. Well, Spock she was not, because not only was he bad, but he was actually _THE_ big bad guy during the Battle of New York, or so we thought. Fury's words actually kept haunting her … _Loki _was_ the bumbling side-kick. We just didn't see the puppet master._

Who was the puppet master? Was he really being influenced by dark energy somehow? Has he calmed down after taking a ride on the crazy-train to Psychoville?

Aside from being a royal dick to her the first time they met and the general weirdness she now felt around him due to Thor's suggestion that he was attracted to her, Loki wasn't really so bad. Sure, he filled her office with M&Ms, but she had been bracing herself for payback ever since Tony Stark warned her about tricking the damn god of tricking. And to tell the truth, she was expecting something much worse … or hurtful. But it ended up being candy. Fucking candy.

One thing was for sure, she wasn't anywhere near a Natasha Romanov-level of being able to stay disconnected. Darcy didn't know if it was just because she was really bad at this whole spy thing … or if she genuinely didn't think Loki was all that horrible. But how could she not think Loki was horrible? He was responsible for so much destruction in her world. How many deaths did he cause? How many homes were destroyed because of the chaos he unleashed?

Darcy got out of bed and paced around her apartment until 2 AM, trying to get a grip on herself. Thor had told Jane that he'd hit rock bottom after his mother died … that something in Loki had changed. He'd helped to save the universe. He helped to save Jane's life. Now he was all alone in that white room. Why did her instincts tell her to feel empathy? Didn't he deserve to be locked up?

She thought about the differences between Loki and the Avengers … Thor used to be a war-happy arrogant asshole, and now he was totally cool. His banishment to Earth humbling him and shaping him into a decent guy.

Tony Stark was also a seriously cool dude, but it took him a little while to become a hero. Before creating the Iron Man suit, it seemed like all he did was party and whore around the world, only stopping every once in awhile to be a genius weapons manufacturer. And how many people did all those weapons kill over the years?

Natasha and Clint were not always on the side of the good guys. Natasha sometimes talked about having red in her ledger. How much suffering were they responsible for before they started working for S.H.I.E.L.D? What had inspired them to turn from the dark side of The Force?

Even Bruce had his demons, a literal one that turned him into a giant green killer … though it wasn't necessarily his fault. As Dr. Banner, he was a very sweet man. Kinda dorky, but sweet. Adorkable.

Only Steve was squeaky clean. Only Captain America. _Sigh … Steve_.

And what had shaped Loki … what lead to him going off the deep end, so to speak? It was after learning of his heritage. That he was born on Jotunheim. A Frost Giant. Darcy knew a few kids who had trouble learning that they were adopted … granted, they usually just got into a few fights at school, maybe went out drinking … tried pot. They didn't try to kill their older brothers and then unleash an alien invasion with plans for world domination, but details!

Maybe what Loki needed was simply a friend. Thor had mentioned something about how if they had Tyrion (who was a fictional character, but whatever) at court, maybe Loki would not have felt so out of place. That implied that he hadn't felt accepted on Asgard.

So he had always felt unaccepted and then found out he was adopted. That's way harsh. On the other hand, he was adopted by a damn king and queen who made him a _prince_. He could have wound up in some Frost Giant orphanage, but he became a _prince_. That's like, every adopted kid's dream.

There must be something more to the story, but Darcy didn't know if she wanted to find it out. She might have already gotten too close, and talking about each other's lives put them on the path toward friendship … but would that be so bad?

She was afraid that she was getting played, though. Afraid that this might be all one big scheme, a part of a labyrinthine plan. She didn't want to be a pawn. Was she being used in some way?

Darcy honestly didn't think so ... but even Loki had called her naive.

She really hoped all this thinking and pacing around wasn't just a whole convoluted justification for feeling compassion for him. She already had quite the history of being drawn to the archetypal "bad guy", her dating life had been littered with them … it would just be her luck that she happened to be assigned to _the_ quintessential bad guy.

All these questions and "what if's" …

Darcy decided to go with her gut. She would try to be his friend, but with caution … she already had "Good Steve" as a friend in New York, now she could have  
Evil Steve". Balance. And for Loki, maybe having a friend or two would go a long way toward preventing another mental breakdown and subsequent acquiring of alien army to invade a planet.

She remembered how paramount her friends Jules and Scott had been while growing up. If she hadn't had them … who knows how she would have turned out. They had all pulled each other out of some dark times ... helped and supported each other. Loki didn't exactly have a lot of support, especially now that his mother had passed away. Thor, of course, would always be supportive, but Darcy figured it would take a lot of time for them to be friends again as well as brothers. They both needed to heal.

She lifted up her t-shirt that she slept in to look at the tattoo she'd gotten several years earlier. It sat below her navel on her lower abdomen, across her sacral chakra. A beautiful fleur-de-lis that looked like it had ivy curling from it and around it. Her two New Orleans friends also had one as a reminder that they would always be connected, always be family. The three prongs of the fleur-de-lis represented each friend with a different color. Aqua-blue for Darcy, purple for Jules, and green for Scott. Not quite Mardi Gras colors, though that was a good thing because then it would have been tacky.

Maybe Loki just needed a team. Some partners in crime … though not _literal_ crime.

Her instincts told her that Loki needed friends. He needed to belong … somewhere.

Darcy had been tasked with helping him to assimilate, which meant to help him belong on Earth, in America … New York City. She would start off by being a friend.

He would_ only_ be a friend. An incredibly good-looking, tall, dark and sexy, albeit bat-shit crazy … friend.

* * *

Taco Tuesday was to be held in the S.H.I.E.L.D. break room so that Darcy could introduce Loki to a little diversity … show him that Americans celebrated all sorts of cultural backgrounds, and to serve the food that was prevalent in New Mexico, where he tried to blow up a whole town … but she wasn't going to mention that. If she didn't have too much tequila.

She had emailed Jane to tell her that the venue had changed for the week, who then responded that since she had to work late, the switch would be perfect and she'd drop by later. Thor and Dr. Banner also accepted invitations, as well as Steve, who she hadn't seen in a few days. Clint was apparently out on a mission, unfortunately, and Natasha wasn't answering her messages.

After making the initial dinner plans, Darcy spent the rest of the morning looking into the strange coincidences that Ian had come across … wondering if the same kind of thing was happening with prisoners in The States.

She had looked over his findings and they did seem very strange. They were the type of prisoner that only MI6 knew about. These were not your run-of-the-mill murderers and thieves … these were the guys bent on real destruction and power on a very large scale, the kind the public couldn't know about. The kind of criminals like Loki.

There were five of them. Some of them had strange powers … others seemed to be mutants, and in order to be locked up, they required some very creative means of incarceration. It was all very disconcerting.

As a level 7 agent, she had access to much more intelligence than she had at a level 6. She found that she no longer had to hack into certain databases … she could just go to them. Still, she knew that she could be tracked, so she employed her ways of staying undetected while searching prison records from the facilities that required maximum security. Ultra security.

After only searching for an hour, she found two such prisoners. It was reported that each of them were suddenly being much more compliant and less volatile. The meditation was chalked up to spending so much time in solitary confinement for one … and the other was so insane that any kind of strange behavior was seen as normal. The first was at Ryker's Island in New York, located near the Bronx … and the other was stashed away in an area at Angola of all places, that was highly classified. Maybe she could get Natasha to go on a mentor/protegé ride with her to question the guy here in New York.

Darcy decided to call Ian up and discuss her findings with him … later. She also filed the info away to be shared with Agent Coulson, though he spent most of his time in the air these days. She'd have to email him.

At around 5, she finally decided to let Loki in on her dinner plans that she'd arranged specially for him. Even though she had made the decision to try and be his friend, she still felt a little strange about it.

Darcy decided to text him … it much less nerve-wracking than calling. "_Dinner in the break room at 6? I brought the tequila. I'm making blue margaritas_."

"_Why blue_?"

Darcy thought that was a very strange response.

"_Because I happened to have a bottle of blue curaçao and the more liquor the better_? _Why does it matter_?"

He immediately responded. "_I will be in attendance. Bruce Banner has already informed me_."

Weird. He sounded too formal … a little stand-offish? She shook her head … she was over-analyzing like she would with someone she was dating.

_Bad Darcy!_

She stood up and looked down at her dress, smoothing out nonexistent wrinkles. It was a bit too bohemian and twee for her taste, but it was comfortable and it looked good on her. A knee-length peach flowy dress with a big pretty belt around her waist. She looked positively hour-glassy. Joan Holloway from _Mad Men_ would be proud.

For the evening, she decided to nickname the break room the "_Bar-ship Enterprise_" because of how much the room reminded her of _Star Trek_. To set up, she started making margaritas for everyone in a state-of-the-art Vitamix supplied by S.H.I.E.L.D. … she was amazed how they really did think of everything, they even made sure to have only the best blender available among the break room appliances.

"Need some help?" It was a welcome voice.

Darcy turned around. "Steve!" She beamed … "I haven't seen you in a few days!"

He walked further into the room and stood across from her at the prep table. "I know. There's been a lot happening."

"Level 8 things?" Darcy poured liquor into the blender along with some ice.

"Yes." Steve sighed, heavy-hearted. "Level 8 things. In fact, I think I'm going to have to go out of town soon. Agent Romanov is already gone."

"What? No! You have to see me and Jane perform "Shoop" at karaoke!" Darcy didn't want her friend to leave.

Steve smiled. Touched that she reacted in such a way. "Maybe we can make it out before I go and if not … I'm not going away forever, Darcy. I'll be back."

"Promise?" Darcy's lower stomach tingled … she had a bad feeling. Spidey-sense.

"I promise, Darcy. Do you know who you're talking to?" Captain America did his chest puffy thing.

Darcy smiled. "Of course I do … but I want to see you soon! Like, in a matter of weeks. Not in 70 years … got it?" She picked up the knife she had been chopping limes with and pointed it at him.

"Whoa, there!" Steve laughed and held up his hands. "Promise, I promise … I won't get myself frozen again for 70 years … okay?"

The spidey-sense didn't go away. She became serious. "Steve. You remember how to contact me when things go to shit, right?" It was a plan that she and Jane had devised two years back when … well, when Loki had his fit and they were spirited away to foreign countries. They created a method of communication that would be at best untraceable and at worst, seriously confusing to a would-be enemy. They had shared this strategy with Steve.

He looked at her in earnest. "I remember." He nodded. Darcy looked back at him thoughtfully. He was a super-soldier and he was lethal, not to mention 90 years old … but he still seemed so young. So … pure. He had such a good heart and she didn't want anything to happen to him.

A velvety voice entered the room, "are we having girls night?" Loki inquired as he glided over to where they were standing.

Darcy smiled and turned the blender on, the sound drowning out anything else he could say. Loki just smiled, unaffected. He was wearing his suit and looked absolutely gorgeous in it, she noted. His seemingly effortless state of attractiveness was really starting to get on her nerves.

She turned off the machine and poured three glasses. "Margaritas? They're nice and strong."

"You know I can't get drunk." Steve said, taking one.

Darcy sighed dramatically. "So you say … but I'm not giving up. Somewhere out there is the right combination and strength. Maybe if I make you a daiquiri with a healthy dose of Everclear … "

"If I had my powers, I could certainly get around the condition that makes you unable to become inebriated. Darcy, are you still at work trying to get my magic restored?" Loki picked up his margarita and took a small sip, testing it out.

"I'm right on top of that," she said with as much sarcasm as she could muster. "How do you like your drink?"

"Enchanting." He said with his own sarcastic tone.

"Don't drink that too fast," she warned. "You don't want to get brain-freeze." Loki looked down at his drink as if it had special powers, never having heard of "brain-freeze" before. Darcy laughed.

She held up her glass. "Cheers, you guys. To your safe return, Cap." Steve smiled and held up his glass. Loki felt himself relax … figuring out what they were talking about ... relieved that it wasn't as intimate as it seemed when he walked in. He held up his glass too, following suit.

Darcy clinked their glasses and took a healthy sip. There stood "Good Steve" and "Evil Steve" … the thought made her giggle.

The rest of the dinner went pretty smoothly. She had made her own special salsa and guacamole but ordered everything else. Several of the agents she had met while shoveling candy out of her office stopped by, along with Bruce, Thor, and even Tony Stark.

She was happy to notice that Loki actually seemed pretty relaxed around Bruce and Tony … almost _friendly_? That was not something she expected to happen so fast. He must really be helping them out.

As the evening went on, Darcy discovered that getting S.H.I.E.L.D. agents drunk was wonderfully entertaining. She wondered if any of these guys ever got out … probably not, since Fury had entrusted _her_ to teach Loki all about American life. After two of her very strong margaritas, Bruce came up to Darcy and apologized for the prank that Loki had crafted. She was genuinely shocked when he revealed that it had been him and Tony that helped Loki bypass the security cameras and assisted him in ordering all the M&Ms. Apparently they were all pals now … it was pleasantly astonishing. Well, except for that whole prank part.

She vowed to get Bruce back, she told him. And she didn't care if he turned into a giant green rage monster. She then told Tony that she felt betrayed … though she did it with a huge grin on her face.

By the time Jane strolled in, everyone was having way too much fun. Even Loki. Darcy was so happy that Taco Tuesday was a success and that her Asgardian project was making friends, that she gave her friend a big hug when she came up to get a drink.

After talking with Jane and Steve about his upcoming travel plans in very vague terms … they made plans for one more karaoke night before he left. It was then Darcy noticed that Loki wasn't talking with Bruce and Tony anymore.

He was gone.

* * *

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After everyone had dispersed to go home, Darcy went to find Loki and see why he bailed. She had a pretty good idea of the person that had prompted him to leave, but she wasn't sure why. Plus, there were a few things that she wanted to give him. She went up to his room and knocked on the door, but didn't use the hand scan since it was kind of late, and who knew when he went to sleep. He could open his own door now.

He opened it almost immediately. "Darcy." Loki said, mildly surprised. He motioned for her to come in. He had changed out of his suit and into his more comfortable sexy uniform of jeans and perfectly snug green t-shirt. It looked as if he'd figured out how to order new clothes off the internet.

Darcy frowned. "Why'd you bail?" She sat her bag down and walked over to sit in one of the comfortable office chairs, smoothing out her dress. She still felt pretty tipsy.

Loki looked as if he was trying to choose his words carefully. "I didn't wish to be among the assembly any longer ... present company excluded." He smirked and sat down in the chair next to her.

"What gives? You were fine until Jane got there." The tequila aided her bluntness.

Loki smiled, "a mere coincidence."

"Bullshit." Darcy raised an eyebrow. "When Jane and Steve were here to watch that movie, you barely spoke, and when I asked about inviting her and Thor to the next one, you were like 'no way José' … and then tonight happened. Plus, a little birdy told me you've been trying to convince Thor that dating mortals is like, totally slumming it." She crossed her arms and leaned back in the chair.

"Birdy?" He found that amusing apparently.

"It's an expression. Whatever. Don't change the subject."

"Oh, but Darcy we are both so good at it." He grinned.

She leaned forward and peered at him. "Spill." She was almost shocked at how demanding she was being. Must have been the margaritas.

He noticeably took a breath and his face lost all expression. "You would not understand."

"Try me."

Loki shook his head … "It would just anger you and our acquaintance is fragile enough as it is."

Darcy leaned back. Hands in her lap. "I promise to try to understand. I'm not just some silly Midgardian, Loki … I'm actually trying to be your friend here … meet me half-way by having a tiny bit of faith in me."

There was what looked like a combination of pain and astonishment in his eyes at her words. Loki was not the type to have faith in people ... ever, let alone now. He closed his eyes and thought for a second. He feared that he would scare Darcy away … but she had been so open with him last night. He couldn't remember the last time that someone, a woman, had confided in him without ulterior motives.

He opened his eyes. "I cannot be near Jane Foster without thinking of my mother's sacrifice." Loki braced himself.

After he said it, Darcy's eyes did not convey anger, like he feared … instead they conveyed compassion. A surprise to him.

He continued. "The Queen of Asgard, The Realm Eternal, beloved wife of the All-Father, died protecting a mortal … a mortal who had somehow infected herself with an ancient power." Loki fought for control over his voice. "Everyone talks of her brilliance, but all I see is stupidity."

He paused to gauge Darcy's reaction, who still seemed to be listening.

"I helped to save Jane Foster because my mother perished protecting her … to let her die would mean that Frigga died for nothing. But when I see her, all I want to do is destroy. I want the world to burn." Loki looked at Darcy with an intensity that frightened even him, but she didn't waver.

"But I can't," he said. "I cling to every bit of control that I can muster ... because if I let the world burn, her death would be meaningless."

None of this surprised Darcy. She reached over and squeezed his hand like she did the previous night. "Loki. The Aether was going to end up in the hands of those elves one way or another … and we could have all been dead. All of us. But with the way everything went down … you and Thor, you saved us." Loki looked virtually stunned at being described as a savior.

Darcy let go of his hand and sat back … "I was there when Jane wandered into whatever portal sent her to the Dark World. There were all these kids running around and throwing random things into those portals ... watching them reemerge from impossible places. Just think if it would have been one of those kids that came into contact with the Aether. How much faster would those evil space-elves had gotten to it?"

Loki closed his eyes again. "I have thought about every single angle, every possibility, every scenario over and over again. I have stayed up nights, I sit in this room with only these thoughts … and the same conclusion is always met."

He took a shaky breath. "I know that what you say is true. With the convergence upon us, Malekith would have found the Aether regardless. Jane finding it led him to Asgard. If he would have been led to Earth first, the universe would have no doubt been covered in darkness and we would all be dead anyway."

Then rage flickered around his eyes. He opened them and hissed, "that does not negate the fact that the host who contained the Aether, a mortal, was protected by one woman, the Queen, and left in her rooms for anyone to find. They both should have been protected by an army!"

_Or they both should been protected by you_? He couldn't admit it yet and she dared not say it. It was obvious that he was carrying around some immense guilt.

Her heart broke for him. Loki was still going through the stages of grief. Bargaining. She was well acquainted with it.

Darcy scooted her chair closer to Loki. He had his eyes closed again and his hands were balled into fists. "Listen. Loki. I don't blame you for feeling the way you do. I would probably feel the same way. I think a lot of people would feel the same way," she said gently.

"It's important when going through loss like this not to be too hard on yourself ... on top of all the grief. How you feel is … how you feel, simple as that. You have to acknowledge your feelings so you can move on. Allow yourself to feel them … and eventually let them go so you can begin to heal."

He didn't respond, but there was a question on his face … _how do you know this_?

Darcy sighed. "But enough psychobabble. Do you want to hear a sad story in the life of Darcy?"

She liked to talk quite a bit ... she rambled, she said inappropriate and random things … but she rarely did this kind of talking. Confiding. She wondered why she was doing it, and she couldn't blame it all on the margaritas. There was a big part of her that wanted to help soothe him, because she understood what the anger was like.

Loki gave the slightest nod of the head.

Darcy took a breath. "My story is nothing like losing your mom … but honestly for me, it _was_ harder than it probably would have been to lose _my_ mom, which is really fucked up and cold-hearted on my part, but it's the truth." Darcy shook her head, uncomfortable.

"Anyway. Like I told you, I have two very close friends in New Orleans. We're a threesome … wait, that sounds weird … not like, in a sexual way, but you know … like three people who are really close. But up until just after high school, we were a foursome." It was Darcy's turn to close her eyes. She hadn't thought about this in awhile.

"My friend … my dear friend. Our sister. Ivy. She died in a car accident. I hated the world for a very long time after that. It happened only 8 months after Katrina … it was like blow after blow after blow." Darcy shifted uncomfortably in her chair.

"Who is Katrina?" Loki asked, obviously listening.

Darcy remembered he probably had no idea what Katrina would be. "Katrina was a hurricane. Do you have big destructive killer storms on Asgard?"

"Not like what you describe."

Sadness flooded her features. "This particular storm devastated our city in a way that I can't describe right now. Maybe I'll tell you that story another day." She said. Loki nodded slightly.

Darcy continued. "In probably the only act of parenting my father ever did, he forbade me from going out the night Ivy died. I had gotten into a horrible fight with my brother and he grounded me."

A bitter smile formed on her lips. "Then I laughed in his face because he was actually acting like a dad, at almost 18 years old … so I wasn't allowed out of the house. He took my phone away, changed our wireless password, weird normal parenting things … and I couldn't go with her."

Darcy absentmindedly rubbed the back of her neck, agitated. "Ivy liked this good-ole-boy who had a brother … and we were supposed to go on a double-date. But she went by herself. It was foggy … there was a drunk driver … she was thrown from the car. Everyone else miraculously survived. And I wanted them all to burn for still being alive. Slowly. Painfully."

The memories still ached. "I _hated_ my dad for making me stay home … I convinced myself that I would have made her put on the seat-belt. I hated those guys for not making her do it. They showed up to her funeral … all bruised and beaten. One had his arm in a cast. Mere scratches compared to what happened to Ivy. Jules, Scott, and I ... we wanted to kill them."

Darcy had been looking at a wrinkle in her dress ... then looked Loki in the eyes. "But our anger was misdirected. It wasn't their fault. At the end of the day … it was that drunk driver's fault. And it was circumstance. There's a million "what if's", but they don't matter. You can't go back and change what happened."

"My grandmother said that an angel must have made me and my brother get into a fight that day … so I wouldn't be able to go. And it _was_ strange how it was the one day that my father decided to care." Darcy waved it away … "but enough about that."

"I guess what I'm trying to say is that I understand, Loki. I do." She squeezed his hand again. "I mean, it wasn't a crazy battle with masked elves and shit, and the entire universe wasn't at stake … but it was our teeny tiny universe that fell apart for awhile."

She made sure to look him in the eyes. "I don't blame you for not being able to be around Jane. But I hope that can change some day."

Loki, feeling as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders at Darcy's understanding, her words ... took her hand in both of his and squeezed back. He then brought her fingers to his lips and kissed them like an aristocratic gentleman in a period drama.

Darcy smiled, and after a few moments, gently took her hand back. "It's okay," she said and nodded. "I've brought a few things for you. Things I thought you might like … that don't have an alien theme. Or a 'chick flick' theme for that matter. More like magic and political intrigue. Loki things."

Loki smiled softly.

She took several books out of the bag she had brought with her. The _Harry Potter_ series … she figured he might relate to it, because magic.

She also brought the series that _Game of Thrones_ was based on … Thor liked the TV series, but she figured Loki would appreciate the books first.

Then she took out the works of Steven Hawking. "I don't know if you've read these … or if his work would be like reading a children's book for you, but I love learning about this. All this "Universe" stuff and "Through the Wormhole" stuff blows my mind … like, in a good way. And it kills less brain cells than drugs."

He laughed softly ... "I will give them a look."

"Oooo, also for next time." She set down the _Star Wars_ series, episodes I - VI. "Don't watch these without me."

"I swear it."

Darcy laughed. Loki and Thor's chivalrous language was ridiculous, but deep down she thought it was sweet. "It's late … time for me to catch a cab home."

He walked her to his door. As she was about to walk out into the hallway, Darcy decided to let go. She turned back around and threw her arms around him. She couldn't reach Loki's neck comfortably because he was quite tall, so she wrapped herself around his torso.

She could feel him stiffen at first, as he was unused to people hugging him, showing him affection … but then he slowly brought his arms around her and into a tight embrace, that only grew tighter after a few moments, like he was hanging on for dear life. He bent his head and breathed in the scent of her hair, it smelled of some exotic flower he hadn't the name for. It made him far more intoxicated than her frozen drinks.

Darcy had her ear to his chest and she could feel his heartbeat.

_So … aliens had hearts_, she thought. It was a comforting discovery.

When they broke the hug after a few long moments, she took a step back, looked up at him and smiled. "Goodnight, Loki," she said … and then turned around and walked down the hallway.

He didn't go back inside his room until she was completely out of view.

As she left the building, her head was spinning … though it definitely wasn't from the margaritas.

* * *

**AN: Thanks for all the lovely reviews, y'all. It keeps me on my toes :-)**


	12. Chapter 12

"This is madness."

"This is America, Jack!"

Loki and Darcy were seated in her office. She had been spending most of the morning trying to explain political parties and the various branches of American government to Loki, of Asgard, who wasn't exactly coming to terms with the concept of democracy.

"I cannot imagine how anything in this realm ever gets done in this way." Having executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government just seemed like a huge waste of time and energy when you could just have a king and be done with it.

Darcy rolled her eyes. "I know it's gotta be confusing for you considering that you're from the intergalactic version of a sci-fi medieval times, but this is the best system we've come up with so far."

"Hmpf."

"It's also possible for someone to rise to a position by being smart and working hard. You don't necessarily have to win the social status lottery by being raised as a prince." She tilted her head and winked at him.

Loki just blinked at her, looking unamused.

Darcy sighed. "Alright. We can move on." She wanted to tell him some semi-good news.

She brought up her weekly report on Loki on her laptop. "I was going to tell you, actually … for my report this week, I'm going to tell the higher-ups that you're doing really well, learning fast, and I'm going to recommend for you to be able to leave the building and have your own place."

Since her conversation with him last night, Darcy didn't want Loki to be in his room all the time, alone with his thoughts. She thought it might actually be more of a risk to keep him contained in a small space. An ankle monitor should work just as well and he'd have more access to distractions that would aid in relieving his grief.

Darcy's announcement perked him up. "Would they allow it?" He had the slightest bit of hope in his voice.

"I hope so." Darcy said. "I'm trying to be as persuasive as possible. You'd be getting a place at Stark Tower, which quite honestly, is your best bet here in New York. For one, it'll be free … which is a great perk they give to some of us for working at S.H.I.E.L.D., and the apartments are so nice and big. Usually places in New York are ridiculously expensive for something the size of a glorified closet."

"Stark Tower. This is where you live?" Loki shifted in his seat and adjusted the cufflinks on his shirt. The thought of living near Darcy made him feel much too giddy. He was not a schoolboy.

"Yep. It's where I live. Free wi-fi, cable, and there's even a pool." Darcy left out the fact that Jane also lived there and happened to be her next-door neighbor.

She continued. "I'm pretty sure that I can get Bruce and Tony to recommend you as well. Seriously, I'm kind of amazed at how well you guys are working together, considering that you once threw Tony out of a window and orchestrated a plan for Bruce to lose control and Hulk-out on that helicarrier," then she thought of all that green candy … "but I guess pulling pranks brings people together." She smiled, sarcasm written all over her face.

"They are both surprisingly insightful and entertaining, and they don't trust S.H.I.E.L.D." Loki gave a nod. "I like that about them."

It made sense to Darcy. "Tony's always had his own agenda. I guess I can see why you would get along."

"And for a Midgardian, Bruce Banner is … quite bright."

Darcy laughed, "Holy shit! I think you just paid an Earthling a compliment! Will the universe now implode? You're going to lose your superior space-race card if you're not careful. Your arrogant-Asgardian cred is gonna get damaged." She waved a finger at him.

Loki went back to his unamused blinking, but it was a mask. Her teasing made him want to do so many things at the same time … he wanted to laugh, he wanted to tease her back, he wanted to hug her again … he wanted to bend her over the desk … lift up that cute skirt of hers …

Darcy broke him out of his daydream. "After you're allowed to leave the building, we'll have to get you a haircut though. I don't think anyone would recognize you, but just to be on the safe side."

He shook his head. … "I'm sorry, cut my hair?"

She had no idea where his thoughts just were. "Not terribly short, but like … maybe to your chin? Your ears?" He seemed distracted, she noted. Perhaps he didn't want to go too short.

"I've seen pictures from your last, um, visit … you look a lot different, so you don't have to chop _all_ your hair off. You've lost that sickly death-pallor you had. No more dark circles under your eyes, you actually look like you've spent the last several months in a spa instead of locked up. After a trim, you should be good." She sat back and admired him. He looked so different from the manic sickly guy from the Battle of New York reports.

Loki nodded.

Darcy blinked, coming back to Earth after her attractiveness assessment of Loki Odinson. "I think the only hurdles to jump through would be Agent Barton and Agent Coulson. They read my reports first before handing them to Director Fury."

"What is the problem?"

Darcy picked up her pen and tapped it. "Well … you kind of mind-controlled Clint. He's still pretty salty about that. And then you kind of uh, killed Coulson."

Loki winced. "Coulson is alive and well, is he not?"

"Yeah … but, he went through some shit." She looked down, suddenly full of sorrow. Out of every horrible thing that Loki did, his attempted murder of Coulson was the thing that made her blood run cold. Darcy felt a lot of affection and respect for him. She might be able to forgive Loki for many things, but she doubted she could forgive what he did to Phil.

Loki sighed. He could tell Darcy had become upset, and they had come so far. He had no desire to take steps back when he so wanted to move forward.

"Darcy." He said quietly. "I was under the same kind of thrall that Clint Barton was under. Every negative emotion was heightened. My anger ... my rage, was amplified. All harnessed by a dark energy, some of which was connected to the scepter."

Darcy frowned.

He continued. "It was what compelled me to put the scepter through Agent Coulson's back." The thrall had turned off a switch inside of Loki. He didn't care who he killed, as any death would have been an offering.

"What do you mean?" Darcy was confused.

"That 'death-pallor' that you spoke of. The thrall has distinct characteristics. Dark circles under the eyes … all color fades from the skin. Your body becomes unnaturally warm, so there is constant perspiration. It's all very uncomfortable, but you do not care."

Darcy thought this over for a second. Clint and Erik both had those symptoms but with one distinct difference. "But your eyes weren't ice blue like the others."

Loki nodded. "You are right. They were not. I wasn't as far under as Clint Barton and Erik Selvig. I needed to still have some autonomy to execute the plan … I wasn't quite as gone as they."

When he woke up in the morning, Loki certainly hadn't planned on talking about this. "But in reality, I was even more gone. I was quite mad then."

"And now you're not?" Darcy thought for a second that Natasha would be proud … she didn't even _try_ to make him talk about this.

He continued his story. "It is terrifying, what falling into an abyss for what feels like years or decades will do to your sanity. I had no concept of time. It might had been a century, I knew not. When I was found … I had little of my mind left. I could have probably been talked into anything just for the chance to feel my feet on the ground. Or to feel anything, really … certainly death would have been welcome. Anything other than nothingness."

Darcy thought this sounded a little deep for a morning conversation. It took her a minute to digest what he was saying.

"So you _didn't_ want to take over our world?" She finally responded.

Loki thought for a second. "A big part of me did. I wanted vengeance."

"Vengeance for what?"

"I was betrayed." He paused and then amended his statement. "I _felt_ betrayed."

Darcy did a mental recap in her head of Loki's ride on the crazy train. First, he felt unaccepted all his life, never quite measuring up to Thor. Second, he learned that he was a Frost Giant, adopted, different all along. He started going off the rails … then felt betrayed. He took a nose-dive off the Bifrost and fell into a space abyss … and was eventually found by some kind of evil Sith-like entity and put under their influence. She knew there were cracks that needed filling in, but Loki's story got more interesting by the day.

"Have you told anyone about the influence you were under?"

"No."

"Why not? Everyone might have gone easier on you."

Loki started to get defensive. "I did not and do not need for anyone to 'go easier on me'. I did what I did. My mind was gone and yet I had spent centuries training my magic and control. My descent should not have been met with so little resistance on my part."

One thing Darcy had learned from her interactions with Loki … he might not show it to the world, and it manifested in some pretty ugly ways, but it seemed like he was pretty hard on himself. Dude had some serious issues, one of them being pride. It sounded like he didn't want to admit to Odin, Fury, or anyone, that something had had a hold over him … because he was Mr. Magic Man and therefore should be impenetrable.

Darcy softened her voice to try and calm him down a little … "Loki. Everything you went through, on Asgard. I mean, it doesn't sound like the most, umm … liberal, or open-minded of places. If you fight against something for so long, eventually … something's gotta give. Sounds like it was your sanity."

"Midgard has somewhat different views on such things. A mental breakdown is viewed as an illness. You have doctors to find the root of the problem. It's treated as a sickness, like a virus, with a scientific solution." Loki didn't like admitting that Midgard could be more progressive than his world, but he went on. "Asgardians view a mental breakdown as a total weakness of the mind, body, and soul."

Darcy knew that Earth once thought that way as well, but she had grown up in a different time. "Well, that's a bunch of bullshit if I ever heard any. I've always been of the opinion that the smartest and coolest and most talented people tend to go at least a _little_ crazy for awhile. Some even embrace the crazy." They looked at each other for a few moments.

She changed the subject. "I still don't understand why you wouldn't just mention that there's an evil mind-controller out there."

Loki shivered. "It's like in your books about the young wizard … no one wanted to mention the dark lord's name … they didn't wish to utter the word 'Voldemort'. They called him 'You Know Who'. I would rather not think on it."

"Shit, dude. That's scary." Darcy thought on all of his revelations for a second. "If you don't tell anyone this stuff … not even Odin, or Thor, or Fury … why do you tell me?"

Loki answered her question with another question. "Why do you tell me about your life? Your past?"

"I don't know."

"I do not know either. Perhaps it's because you … how did you put it, 'embrace the crazy'?

Darcy opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by a knock on her office door.

After yelling to whoever it was to come inside, she was met with a huge bouquet that practically took up her whole doorway.

From behind the mass of flowers, she recognized a security guard from downstairs. "Delivery! Where would you like these, Ms. Lewis?" He asked.

"Ummm … I guess on the desk?" Both Darcy and Loki stood up. Darcy was shocked. Loki looked irritated.

The guard set the flowers down with a loud thud. "These arrived for you late afternoon, yesterday. Here's your card."

Darcy took the card, the envelope had been opened. "Why am I just now getting them? And why is my card opened?"

He had the tact to look a little guilty. "Sorry ma'am, but it's protocol. They had to be checked for bugs, bombs, or even poison … you understand. And especially since they were ordered from overseas."

Darcy's brows furrowed. "Overseas?"

_What the hell? … oh, shit._

Darcy could already feel the need to roll her eyes. She looked at the guard. "I understand. Thanks," she said quietly. He nodded and left.

She stood back to look at the flowers. They had Ian written all over them. A nice big bouquet. Beautiful, lovely, a cookie-cutter arrangement, and nothing she would have ever picked out for herself in a million years.

"So it seems you have admirers on different continents?" Darcy had almost forgotten that Loki was witness to this and she was suddenly embarrassed. He had an eyebrow arched and a smirk on his face, but he didn't look amused. In fact, he looked a little scary. It was a bit unnerving.

Darcy shook her head. "Just one."

She opened her card.

_Darcy,_

_I decided to surprise you. I'm being sent to America for a few days! Hopefully these flowers will beat me there. I leave today, should be there tomorrow._

_I've missed you._

_Ian_

Darcy set the card down and put her face in her hands. "Fuuuuuuuuuck," she muttered into her fingers.

"Do women on Midgard not like to get flowers?" Loki went from being a bit scary to being confused.

She looked up at him and shook her head … "Whhyyyyy?"

"I don't think I understand."

She started to pace as much as she could in her little office. "I moved across the Atlantic Ocean! What makes him think this would be a good idea?" She wasn't really talking to Loki … it was more like she was talking to herself and he happened to be in the room.

"Do I have to send him that Taylor Swift song? Hey, Ian … 'we are never ever ever getting back together'!"

Darcy moved back around her desk and slumped in her chair … put her face back in her hands.

"So from what I gather … these feelings are unrequited on your part?" Loki asked, peering from around the flowers.

She knew she probably wasn't making too much sense to him right now. "They're from my ex-boyfriend in London. He's decided to pay me a surprise visit, lucky me! And since S.H.I.E.L.D. decided to wait and give these to me today … the surprise is going to happen a lot sooner. I'm so not prepared for this."

Darcy's intercom buzzed and an assistant came on the line, "Ms. Lewis, you have a visitor downstairs in the lobby. Mr. Ian Boothby of MI6."

Darcy groaned, slid off her chair, and ducked under her desk as if she were protecting herself during a tornado warning. She brought her knees up to her chest and bent her head.

"Ms. Lewis?"

She heard Loki chuckle. He pressed the button and answered for her. "She might be a minute. Or two."

* * *

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Loki was not happy.

At first, Darcy's behavior toward her former lover's visit was comical. She acted in such a way that he almost felt sorry for the poor fellow.

But then he laid eyes this Ian, as he was called. From Darcy's reaction, Loki didn't know what to expect, but it wasn't this. The ex-paramour turned out to be a strikingly handsome young man. He dressed well, obviously wanting to impress. His hair was perfectly trimmed and yet disheveled. This was a trend he had noticed among Midgardians, they liked to spend hours in front of the mirror trying to make their style look effortless and natural as if they just rolled out of bed that way. It was maddening.

Loki had rather foolishly coaxed Darcy from under her desk so that she could go downstairs to fetch him. She reappeared minutes later when the two of them emerged from the elevator, she looking much more relaxed and cheerful … and this Ian, he looked positively blissful, his smile taking up half of his face.

Loki wanted nothing more than to wipe the toothy smile right off that face. He had several creative ways to do it with magic … but since he had none, he wouldn't mind at all to do it with his fist.

As Darcy and Ian walked the path to her office, she noticed Loki leaning up against one of the security desks, casually watching them. She smiled and walked up to introduce him.

"Ian, this is Luke. He's one of my new S.H.I.E.L.D. friends. He works with Dr. Banner."

She described him as a friend, not a work colleague, not an assignment, and not as a project. He was a friend. It was better than he expected, but it still stung in a way that he wasn't expecting.

Ian held out his hand. "Cheers, nice to meet you." He seemed genuinely happy to be meeting Darcy's friends. What a fool.

Loki had grown quite fond of looking down at Midgardians, literally, as most of them tended to be shorter than him … but this one was the same height, if not taller. Blast him.

"Likewise. I hope you enjoy your stay." Loki said through his teeth.

Ian's eyes lit up. "Are you English, mate?" He had detected an accent on Loki.

Darcy intervened, looking between the two of them. "He's not from where you're from, Ian. And he's definitely not an Arsenal fan … or a Chelsea fan, or a Man United fan for that matter, so don't bother him with the soccer talk." She started to drag him inside of her office.

"It's called football, Darcy!" Ian managed to say before she shut the door.

Loki headed back to the lab and thought about the time he coaxed the Hulk out of Dr. Banner. Perhaps it would be fun to try that again …


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: I'm all verklempt at the follows and favorites, you guys. When I started writing this fic, I only expected about 3 people to read it, and then I figured those 3 people would just be telling me how much my story sucked ;-) As with writing anything, there's always adjustments to be made as a piece evolves ... so there might be a few minor things I've had to go back and change (like the name of one of the prisons I mentioned ... I decided to go with a fictional Marvel prison) ... nothing major. Thank you all for reading.**

* * *

"I've missed you, Darcy."

Darcy had put her bouquet on the floor so that she could see Ian across from her desk. She was determined to make this as professional as possible. One agent of S.H.I.E.L.D, one agent of MI6. Talking shop.

She looked at him for a second. He looked good. Like, really good. "Thanks for the flowers, Ian."

But not so good that she was going to forget why they had broken up. "So why did they send you to America?"

Ian's smile lost a little of its luster. "Darcy. Are you happy to see me?"

She didn't want to seem ungrateful, and it was nice to see a friend. "Of course I am." She smiled. "I've missed you too."

Darcy had forgotten exactly how handsome Ian was. His boyish smile. His adorable thick accent. If she wasn't careful, she was going to fall back into old habits. Sleeping alone had its benefits, but it did get lonely. Even if it wasn't about sex, just being in the same bed with someone familiar sounded alluring and comforting.

Ian relaxed a little into his chair. "They've sent me to have a meeting with Director Fury. We've discovered a few things that he needs to know, and it wasn't exactly something that could be said over the phone … or through email."

"Does this have something to do with those prisoners you found?"

"No. Actually, the strange behavior that I discovered from those prisoners was because I was researching something else entirely. That whole thing was a bit of a byproduct, really."

"What were you originally researching?" She asked.

"I was looking into making sure that a few people were where they were supposed to be."

"Soooo ... I'm guessing that the reason you're meeting with Fury isn't something you can tell me? And that's why you're being intentionally vague?"

Ian nodded. "I'm sorry."

She shrugged. "It's cool." There were plenty of things that Darcy didn't tell Ian about, like Loki's real name … so she didn't mind the secrecy.

"It seems like you're moving up quickly, Mr. Stats Man." Ian was actually a pretty brilliant statistician, proving to be very helpful to Jane in her research for a little while back in London, which was what put him on the M16 radar ... that, plus being involved with the whole saving the world from evil space-elves thing.

"You look good, Ian. MI6 agrees with you." She grinned. "Have they assigned you a number yet? Are you 008? 009? Obviously 007 is taken."

Ian laughed, "You know that's fiction."

"Or so we think. With all the things I've seen the past few years, I have no idea what's fiction anymore. Hell, hobbits and orcs might be real for all I know. I'm actually kind of holding out hope that Peter Pan and Neverland are real. If Thor and Asgard are real, then why not?"

Ian sighed. "I've really missed you."

He had just made her uncomfortable so she changed the subject. "So have you found out anything else about those prisoners? Something you can tell me?"

He nodded. "I've found a few more. I'm beginning to wonder if there are people outside of prison, you know, just walking around and doing the same kind of thing … and I only found the ones who are locked up because of what I happened to be searching for."

"That's a scary thought. I've found two myself. Have you gone to visit any of these inmates?"

"No. I've been too busy with my other assignment."

"Would you like to go visit one?" Darcy was itching to get out of the building and away from being alone in her office with Ian.

"Sure!" Ian was excited to be able to work with Darcy again. Partners. "No time like the present."

* * *

XXXXXXXX

"Ummm, Loki? Why do you keep playing that Taylor Swift song? It's starting to freak us out, buddy."

Loki had been driving Tony and Bruce crazy all day in the lab. For the first time since he'd started working there, he refused to do anything except be a dick. He insisted on staying at his desk, fiddling around with his laptop.

They had all been working together so well, three brilliant minds going back and forth, speaking their own language of science and making serious breakthroughs in their gamma radiation research and how to put it to use in new weapons … but then Loki had suddenly retreated back into the surly shell he was in when he was first banished to Earth.

Tony walked up to him, "You okay there, Prancer?"

Loki looked up and glared, "I do not wish to be in your presence today. Now move along." He made a dismissing motion with his hand.

Stark was confused. "Did something happen?"

Loki wasn't in the mood for this … he wasn't about to have a heart-to-heart with Tony Stark about how Darcy was now in her office with her handsome ex-paramour, behind closed doors … so he deflected, and confessed to something that was bothering him far less. Why lie when you don't have to? There's so much less to remember later.

"That man over there." Loki pointed to one of the young scientists who had been helping out for the past few days. "He's been lying to you since he got here. And he's very bad at it. I cannot be near him."

Tony put his hands in his pockets and swiveled around to look at the accused. He just looked like an eager kid fresh off the boat from M.I.T., looking far too young and frail to be dangerous.

Tony inclined his head to ask another question, but Loki was done talking, going back to his laptop. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm done conversing."

* * *

XXXXXXXX

Flashing her level 7 S.H.I.E.L.D. badge was starting to get fun. It seemed like it could take Darcy anywhere … and whenever someone tried to deny her access, all she had to do was the cool badge flashy thing. Like in the movies.

At Ryker's Island, Darcy and Ian had no trouble requesting an audience with Weird Prisoner Number 1, some Greek dude named Dominikos Petrakis. Apparently he could manipulate energy in some crazy way, so he was kept in a special cell, and usually people only communicated with him from behind custom-made mutant-proof glass.

Darcy insisted that she speak to him face to face, which took a little persuasion, but she finally convinced them to let her try. She told the guards that she was a level 7 S.H.I.E.L.D. agent for a reason and could very well take care of herself. It was a bit of an exaggeration—or a lot of an exaggeration—but it got her in.

As she walked in the interrogation room, Ian tried to come in with her but she refused to let him, thinking that the prisoner might be more receptive to a lone non-threatening woman.

"I'll be fine, Ian. I've got my new taser." She winked. It was a lot smaller than the ones you can get at the run-of-the-mill weapons depot and tackle shops, but they packed the exact same wallop.

"I'm not comfortable letting you go in there by yourself." He looked worried.

"Don't do that protective man thing, you know I hate that. I'll be fine. I've got good luck on my side, remember?" Considering she survived an attack on her small New Mexican town and that whole convergence thing in London, she was pretty sure that some meditating prisoner wasn't going to take her down too easily.

"It's cool, Ian." She reassured him. "Just sit in the viewing room. Sound the alarm if anything happens."

"Right."

Darcy walked into the room where the prison guards had set Mr. Petrakis up at a desk with his hands bound behind his back with a pair of cuffs that looked like they were made up of a robot snake. It totally made her feel like she was in an episode of _Bones_ or _CSI:Miami_. She suddenly wished that she had a pair of her shades so she could take them off dramatically like Horatio Caine.

She sat down across from him. "Mr. Petrakis."

He had been sitting quietly with his eyes closed, but he suddenly opened them. Darcy noted that he was a rather handsome man. Being Greek, he had an impressive head of thick black hair, but she could tell that what should have been a flawless olive complexion, was ashen and colorless.

The prisoner inclined his head. "What do you want?" He asked quietly, though not with malice.

Darcy smiled sweetly. "I'm just one of those girls who are big into yoga and I'm always looking to deepen my meditation practice. I was wondering if you could tell me about your technique?"

Petrakis laughed softly. "I suppose it was only a matter of time before they sent someone in here about that. I'm surprised it took them so long. And I'm surprised they've sent someone to sit in the same room with me."

"How long has it been since you sat in a room with someone?"

"Years. They're too scared."

"Then who puts the cuffs on?"

He raised a dark eyebrow. "They make me put my hands through a hole and these are applied. A door opens. I'm allowed to walk in here. They only talk to me through the glass there." He looked over to where Ian sat watching, though it looked like no one was there at the moment. An illusion.

"Why are you not afraid?" He asked.

Darcy sighed. "Maybe I'm just reckless."

The prisoner smiled and shook his head slightly. "You hide something." He leaned forward. "You have an energy about you."

Darcy leaned forward too. "Every woman has her secrets," she said very quietly. "Now, please tell me … what's up with the yogi shit?"

Petrakis sat back and took a deep breath. "The darkest parts of the universe call. Much energy is being expended to find the traitor." He suddenly looked very uncomfortable, perspiration forming on his brow.

Darcy noticed that he looked like he hadn't slept in weeks. Because of his mediterranean complexion, she noticed that she had missed the subtle dark circles under his eyes.

She chose her words carefully. "Why are you called? You specifically?"

"Don't you know? I'm a bad guy." He said this with a large amount of sarcasm, one of Darcy's most fluent languages.

"And you're of the opinion that you're not?"

He shrugged slightly. "Some of us walk the line between light and dark."

"So, what … you were enticed by the power of the dark side?" Working for S.H.I.E.L.D. had given her plenty of opportunities for _Star Wars_ references over the past few months and she couldn't resist.

"Sometimes it feels pointless to deny it." He said, looking full of sorrow.

"So who is it that calls to you?"

The prisoner paused for a few moments. "The one who courts death," he said finally.

"Well, that's creepy." Darcy wondered how much longer this guy was going to be cooperative. "How does this person call to you?"

"First, it's only in dreams … and then eventually, you fall." Petrakis inclined his head, "I can show you, if you'd like. Put your hand on my shoulder."

This was probably not a good idea, but Darcy was tired of the riddles he was speaking in. She was hoping to get some better answers, so she stood up and walked over to him.

Her spidey-sense told her that the guy meant her no harm. It seemed like he had spent so much time alone, that his mind had gone a bit soft, and that any crimes he had committed in the past had been more than atoned for by being locked up in solitary confinement for years.

As Darcy put her hand on his shoulder, she knew that Ian was probably going ape-shit behind the glass so she held up her other hand toward the glass to let him know she was okay.

"Close your eyes." Petrakis said.

As soon as she shut them, she felt vibrations run up her arm, which scared her at first, but she pushed through it. With her eyes closed, all she saw was darkness at first, but then slowly it seemed as if stars were appearing and then what looked like a breath-taking galaxy emerged, with colorful nebulae and what seemed like whole other worlds off into the distance. If this was where Petrakis went every time he meditated, she understood why … it was so peaceful here.

She then heard, or more like sensed, a distant call that sounded so sweet and inviting … and so easy to answer. All she had to do was give it her attention, but she knew better. Underneath the enticing call was a darkness, it was a seductive darkness, and in the end she knew it would be venomous.

Her arm then started to vibrate more noticeably and it started to get uncomfortable. Her lower stomach started to hum and she opened her eyes, a small flash of blue energy bursting between Darcy and Petrakis.

She released her hand and jumped back. The prisoner was looking up at her. "You don't want to go any further than that. He could get ahold of you."

Darcy sat down, mystified. "What happens after 'he' gets ahold of you?"

"Then it's not so peaceful anymore. You cannot sleep, you never get any real rest. You can only meditate, hearing the call … over and over again." He started to twitch slightly and looked as if he was beginning to get rather agitated, perspiring even more. She figured she should wrap this up soon, before something unfortunate happened.

Darcy had one more question for the time being. "Who is the traitor you spoke of?"

Petrakis looked at her intensely. "The great failure. I would only know him if I saw him, and I see no one." He seemed to calm down a little bit. "I have no hope that I'll ever find him myself … but it's only a matter of time before someone does. He calls to all with dark energy, with dark magic, to every corner of the universe. _Someone_ will find him."

"What happens when this 'great failure' is found?"

Petrakis closed his eyes. "Then I can finally sleep. We all can." He blinked them back open. "Do you know where he is?"

Darcy gave a Loki-shrug, noting that her new friend was having way too much of an influence on her. "I don't even know who you're talking about, man. You've been speaking in riddles since I got here, and all I saw when I touched your shoulder was the inside of a planetarium. Not much help."

The prisoner shook his head. "No. You have an energy about you. I know you sensed something more. I know it," he said between his teeth and then lowered his voice to a whisper. "Do you know where he is? Please. Please find him. I am going … mad."

"You would have to draw me a picture, dude. And so far, all you're telling me is that the person you're searching for is male." Darcy leaned over. "Only in riddles, you speak," she said, very Yoda-like.

Petrakis then closed his eyes and the room started to vibrate, the table shaking so hard that it was starting to jump up from the floor. He was beyond agitated now.

Darcy stood up and backed away from the table. The prisoner opened his eyes and stared at her. He started to say over and over, "please … please find him." It became like a mantra.

Something clicked and Petrakis' chair retreated suddenly into the floor while he was simultaneously flung back to the wall, his cuffs being attracted to a magnetic strip behind him. More cuffs remotely came from below and were suddenly fitted to his feet so he couldn't move, though he began to struggle while saying his mantra over and over again. The room began to vibrate violently.

"Darcy, get out of there. Now!" It was Ian's voice on the intercom.

She realized that she must have been in shock watching all of this unfold. Darcy gathered her wits together quick enough to run out the door before the prisoner started screaming his mantra.

Ian was running to meet her down the hall and she leapt into his arms, letting him wrap them safely around her.

Darcy knew she was fine, but she couldn't help but think of Petrakis locked up in that room, day in and day out … his mind failing him. The isolation as well as the influence that had a hold on him was driving him insane.

It reminded her of someone and she was suddenly very afraid for him.

* * *

XXXXXXXX

In the cab, on the way back to Headquarters, Darcy got a phone call. She really wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone, but she took her phone out of her handbag to see who it was.

_Tony Stark. Whaaaaaaa?_

She answered weakly, shocked. "Hello?" The day was full of surprises and she was getting tired of it, but a call from Tony was about the only welcome one so far.

"Kid. Prancer is really starting to get on everyone's nerves around here. Do you know what the hell happened to him? He's acting like someone ran over his pet bilgesnipe."

Darcy attempted to bring herself back to reality and away from what she'd had on her mind since leaving Ryker's Island. "Ummmm … well, I talked to him this morning. I mentioned that he might be getting his own place soon. Maybe he's just tired of being boxed in? He might just need a little air."

"Maybe." Tony didn't think that was quite the problem. "Tell me hon, where are you this lovely afternoon?"

Darcy wondered if she should reveal what she had been doing. "I was out doing some work with one of my contacts at MI6."

"MI6? Oh, sure." Tony knew who Director Fury was meeting with later that day, a statistics wiz. "Sir Ian Fleming, former boyfriend. Smart guy from what I hear."

Darcy rolled her eyes. He was a very smart guy indeed, though she wasn't sure how much common sense he had. It was too bad he used so much of that brain on soccer statistics … which he was currently looking up on his phone as he sat next to her in the car.

It was all starting to make sense to Tony. The suggestion of more freedom for Loki just as her smart and good-looking ex-boyfriend came into town. Yep, that had to sting. It looked as though Prancer had a bit of a crush, and poor Darcy was oblivious to it. Tony didn't know whether he wanted to laugh or be very worried. He ended up doing the former, deciding that quite possibly, Loki hadn't gotten laid in decades, perhaps even centuries … it would certainly go a long way towards explaining why he had become so angry that he wanted to take over the world. The guy needed some serious stress relief.

Tony actually found himself feeling sorry for him. "Is there any chance you could come back here and give Loki a Midol? He's starting to piss Banner off and we all know what happens when you piss Banner off."

"I'm still about 20 minutes away and stuck in traffic." Darcy then remembered the trick she had put together for Bruce's promised payback, though it really wasn't much of a payback since you couldn't do anything to anger him.

"I actually have something to send to Bruce," she said. "It'll cheer him up. And when I get back, I'll talk to the dude." Darcy didn't want to say Loki's name in front of Ian, even though the only thing he was paying attention to at the moment was soccer scores.

"Gotcha. Hurry."

"Tony … he might just be having a bad day. He's actually really … " She didn't want Loki to lose the connection that he had miraculously made with Stark and Banner.

"I know, kid. I know." He hung up the phone.

Darcy was glad that Loki seemed to have at least another person on his side. He was going to need it.

* * *

XXXXXXX

An assistant walked into Dr. Banner's lab carrying a huge white gift-bag that Darcy had stashed in her office.

"Dr. Banner? Ms. Lewis called and wanted me to deliver this to you."

Bruce looked up from his work, confused, but took the bag and dismissed the assistant.

Tony glided on over, smiling, hoping this wasn't going to end up biting him in the ass, as he noticed they suddenly had Loki's attention since he had heard Darcy's name mentioned.

Banner opened it up and looked inside. He then looked up at Tony, a blank look on his face. He did this several times, looking into the bag and then back to Tony.

"Cats."

"Come again?" Tony was beyond curious now.

"Cats. She got me a bag full of cats." Bruce started laughing.

Tony walked over to look in the bag. It was filled with small stuffed animals, all cats. He remembered the conversation he had had with Darcy when Loki had upset her upon their first meeting. He had told her about Banner's impression that her new assignment's brain was a "bag full of cats". He shook his head … damn, the girl was good.

Tony pulled out a note that was stuck inside the bag and gave it to Bruce, who had a bit of trouble reading it, he was laughing so hard.

_Bruce,_

_When things get tough, just look inside._

_When things get tough for me, I just look at a picture of a horse._

_XOXO Darcy_

It was Tony's turn to laugh. He looked over at the bud of the joke, who happened to be staring a hole into them. It was a good thing Loki could have had no idea what it was actually about.

Stark decided to test out his theory about Loki crushing on one Miss Darcy Lewis.

"Bruce, I'm tellin' ya." He said. "The girl is brilliant. If you don't snatch her up, someone is going to do it soon. Maybe Rogers … or that Brit, you know, The Spy Who Loved Me."

Bruce shook his head, but he still had a big smile on his face. "Tony, she's too young for me."

"Nonsense. She's perfect. She could really even you out, help you relieve a lot of stress, and those, you know ... rage issues. I mean, that rack."

"Those DSL." Banner said, still chuckling.

"Bruce! I'm shocked. You know what DSL are? You're so full of surprises. I love it."

Their banter was interrupted by the sound of the lab door slamming shut. Loki had officially quit the room.

Yep, Tony thought. Prancer had it bad.

* * *

XXXXX

Tony found Loki sitting in the break room, reading, which was about the last place he figured he'd be. Maybe the guy did need to get out of that barren room, breath some fresh air. It could account for some of the dickish behavior. Not all of it, but some.

Stark took a chair across from the brooding Asgardian. "Look. I get it. She's a lot of fun … not to mention very easy on the eyes. And apparently the girl is full of mischief … and I see that you would like her to be full of, um … _your_ mischief." He twitched a smile.

Loki looked up from his book and cocked an eyebrow, but said nothing.

"Listen." Tony went on. "You may not believe it, and Pepper might tell you differently, but I _do_ know a thing or two about women. And I promise you, if a woman is really into someone, she doesn't move to a different country. She stays. Darcy didn't stay."

Loki still said nothing.

Tony sighed. He was getting nowhere, so he decided to take a different approach. "How is it that you realized the new kid was lying?"

Loki finally decided to speak up, always happy to state his regal title. "I am the God of Mischief and Lies. I no longer have my magic, but I still have my senses."

"Right. Well, after you pointed him out to me, I did a little digging … and his story doesn't seem to add up."

"I don't doubt it."

"I also don't understand how he made it past S.H.I.E.L.D.'s vetting system so easily."

Tony decided to make Loki an offer he hopefully couldn't refuse. "I'll tell you what. You figure out who the kid is exactly, find out what he's doing here … and I'll get you moved out of HQ and into Stark Tower in a matter of hours. Bruce and I might have to move our work there anyway. Leave Fury and Coulson to me. I'll even get you moved into the apartment right across from our favorite funny girl, if that's what you want."

Loki raised an eyebrow and grinned. "You have a deal, Tony Stark."

* * *

**AN2: I may or may not have been celebrating 4/20 while editing this chapter, so if there are typos, please forgive me. And as always, I so appreciate each and every review. Y'all inspire me to keep writing. Though I promise, I _will_ finish this fic in a timely fashion ... I won't leave you hanging. Again, thanks for reading!**


	14. Chapter 14

**AN: Alright, guys. I know that some peeps can be very sensitive about spoilers ... so if you haven't seen _Captain America: The Winter Soldier_ yet, and you've somehow managed to stay unspoiled and want to keep it that way ... go see the movie before you continue to read. Seriously, run to the theater because it's a fucking fantastic movie. If you don't care about such things, please read on. Also, If you've watched _Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D_., then you're already spoiled, so again, please read on.**

* * *

Loki was happy.

As it turned out, the young scientist that he and Tony had discovered, wasn't actually that young. He only looked to be about 23 years old. In reality, he was several years older, using the fact that he appeared youthful and green to his advantage.

Through a series of questions, Loki learned that the man was not Dutch like he claimed, but was in fact Swedish. He became worried that given where he was from, the liar would more easily recognize the Norse God of Mischief, but he actually seemed to believe that his last name was Prancer, since that was all Tony called him around the uninitiated. Bruce at least had the courtesy of using Loki's alias, Luke.

The best part was, that this Swede didn't even realize he was giving himself away, as he was asked simple "yes and no" questions. "Luke" had pretended to make conversation while performing some tests, and the fool was only too happy to talk, as though he thought he was getting information out of Loki as well. He shook his head at the thought … amateur.

After only an hour, he figured out several things. One, he was of course, Swedish. Two, he was there to steal information on new weapons. And three, he was a relative of an infamous former-S.H.I.E.L.D. prisoner, who was now deceased.

With these facts alone, Tony Stark was able to decipher exactly who the man was, though his actual identity wasn't shared with Loki. Stark had rather hurriedly left the room as soon as he discovered the truth by looking up a few things on his tablet, and Loki didn't really care to know the details. He already did what he had set out to do.

What he did know about the Swede though, was that he was actually wanted in Europe for espionage and theft of classified information. He was now hiding out in The States as he was being actively looked for by MI6. Loki was willing to bet that this little development would be cutting into Darcy's idiotic ex-lover's plan to woo her into reconciliation.

It really couldn't have worked out any better than if he'd planned the whole thing from the beginning.

Loki slinked back to his chair and put his feet up on his desk, hands behind his head in a relaxed pose, as S.H.I.E.L.D. agents poured into the lab pointing their guns at the unsuspecting fool. He was relieved that for once, the agent's guns were not pointed at him. It was all rather entertaining. He quite liked being on the other side of these things. Trickery, but with the weapons being dispatched upon someone else in the end.

When Tony Stark returned with Nick Fury and Ian in tow, Loki figured it was a good time to take his leave.

* * *

XXXXXXXXX

Darcy sat alone in her office. Door closed. Music turned up. As soon as they had gotten back from Ryker's Island, Ian went on to his meeting with Fury and even though she had said she'd go and talk to Loki, she just needed a few minutes to decompress. A few minutes turned into a lot longer as she brought her chair over to her window and sat cross-legged while listening to Nine Inch Nails at maximum volume. After awhile, she just kind of zoned out.

As far as the "traitor" or "great failure" went, Darcy was pretty certain that Petrakis was talking about Loki … unless there was some other intergalactic super-villain out there who was supposed to execute some huge diabolical plan and failed … one with the same trademark death-pallor, perspiration, and dark circles under the eyes.

Should she still push for him to be let out of the building when one of these minions of "The One Who Courts Death" could be walking around to spot him? Was there any way that she could protect him from being found?

The first thing she had done upon returning, was send a few pics to her friend Jules in New Orleans. She also made sure to tell her that the situation was seriously on the down low. Secret. Classified. No one else could know, save for her grandmother, Miss Ramona. Jules and Miss Ramona were both voodoo priestesses, Jules being young but quite strong, and her grandmother being the most powerful queen in recent memory. Perhaps they could shed some light on the kind of spells or magic at work here.

Darcy had sent pictures of Clint and Erik while they were under Loki's compulsion, and then one of Loki himself during the battle of New York, as well as a pic she had obtained from Ryker's Island of Petrakis. She'd made sure that her message to Jules was untraceable, but she didn't even want to think about the laws that she broke by showing civilians classified items.

She really didn't know anyone else to turn to. Her S.O., Natasha, was gone on a mission. She didn't feel comfortable bringing up the situation with Clint, given his sensitivity on the subject, and she couldn't go to Thor without telling Loki as well, as that would just feel like a betrayal on her part. Her only other options were scientists, and they were never much help in these matters … they were much too logical about this sort of thing, and their formulas could only help so much. Darcy needed someone who knew about magic. Dark magic.

Someone who wasn't Loki. Someone who wasn't attached to the situation and could think clearly. There had to be a way to protect him … though the plan to locate him seemed rather brilliant, hooking those with dark energy or magic into being controlled. Never allowing them rest or sleep until the "great failure" was found. These people who were already unstable to begin with, would be driven insane until someone found him.

How could Loki stay safe? She wondered how it was that this person, this thing, this entity, hadn't found him already, since he had his own magic … though at the moment, Loki had none. His magic had been taken away. Maybe that's what had saved him for the time being. Maybe he shouldn't try to get his powers back anytime soon.

What Darcy _did_ know was that she didn't want to alarm Loki just yet … at least until she had a few answers. He was already dealing with enough for the moment, his emotions were fragile. He was still grieving so many losses. The loss of his mother, the loss of his home from banishment … and on another level, he'd lost his father and of course, the former closeness with his brother. She wasn't sure how much more he could take before descending back into darkness. She wanted to help him step back into the light.

The thought made her cringe. How many "bad boys" had she tried to save? Although they had been mortals, Earthlings, Midgardians … or losers, as her mother would call them. The boys with potential, diamonds in the rough. She liked them like that … a little rough around the edges. A little lost. Darcy wasn't sure what it was about her that attracted such guys. Maybe it was because she had always been a little lost too and she just wanted some company. Or maybe she had a messiah complex, who knew.

It had been awhile since her last entanglement though. After the last bad boy ended up tearing apart her emotions as well as her sanity and ended up in rehab, she swore them off … promising herself that she'd only date normal dudes from then on. But all that ended up doing was leave her incredibly bored. Ian was the last foray into the world of nice normal boys … and she was pretty sure that she was done with them too. That didn't leave much left.

Darcy wasn't exactly someone who believed in love anyway, never having seen a great example of it in her own life. It all just sounded like fairy tales to her … pipe dreams. She had decided that if she couldn't handle bad boys any longer, and if the good ones bored the shit out of her … then she'd just have to stay single. Get a vibrator. A relationship with a vibrator. Pathetic.

Or maybe Jane had a point. She had said once that Darcy liked the bad boys because they would probably never pan out, so no chance of a long-term commitment. And she was never too interested in the good ones, the wholesome ones … she claimed boredom, but perhaps that was just a defense mechanism she used to not get too close. Open up. Let her guard down. But in the end, all the saccharine-sweet lovey-dovey bullshit those nice guys did made her roll her eyes. And want to puke. Why was this, when other girls ate that shit up?

But more than that, why was she thinking about all of this relationship crap when she was supposed to be thinking about how to protect Loki? He was not her boyfriend. He wasn't even some guy she was hooking up with. He was her _friend_. Her very sexy friend … who could rock a v-neck like no other. And a three-piece suit. Or whatever the hell else he chose to wear.

She closed her eyes and tried to clear her mind of all these thoughts … and just concentrated on Trent Reznor's voice. No more Loki. Only Trent. No more Loki … only Trent.

Loki.

* * *

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Loki walked up to Darcy's office, but the door was closed. She had to have been in there alone, since Ian was obviously in the lab with the discovered Swede. He knocked on the door, but there was probably no way she could hear it due to the loud music coming from inside.

He found the door unlocked, so he opened it to see her sitting cross-legged in her chair, her back to him, scooted up to the window. She wasn't aware of the door opening behind her. He walked up and saw that her eyes were closed, so he reached out and touched her shoulder.

"WHOA DUDE WHAT THE FUCK!" Darcy's eyes shot open-wide and nearly fell out of her chair.

"I assure you, I knocked!" Loki said, rather loudly, trying to be heard over the music.

"WHAT?"

"I knocked!"

She got up and slid her chair back to it's normal place behind her desk, then turned the volume down on her speakers she had hooked up to her iPhone.

She glared at him. "You scared me! Don't do that!"

Loki shrugged. "Honestly, there wasn't any other way to get your attention, the music was so loud. Are you not supposed to be an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.? Should you be allowing others to sneak up on you like that?"

Darcy narrowed her eyes. "You're right. My mistake was in not locking my door," she said angrily.

It was not his intention to make Darcy mad. He sighed. "I … I apologize for frightening you."

He had never apologized, or at least _implied_ an apology, so much to a woman that was not his mother. He was starting to wonder what had come over him. Midgard had changed Thor … what in the living Helheim was happening to him? What was it with this place?

Darcy laughed. "Whoa, an apology from a god! I'm honored … and I forgive you. Now … what's up?" She gestured towards the empty chair across from her desk.

He sat, agitated. "What is this … music? That you are listening to?" It was certainly very odd, nothing like Loki had ever heard before.

"Nine Inch Nails? It's probably not the best thing to listen to as your first taste of rock music … but it helps me to chillax, helps me to think."

"_This_? helps you to think?" He was sure that he could use this music as a form of torture back on Asgard.

Darcy smiled. "It's cathartic. I've listened to Nine Inch Nails since I was a misunderstood wee lassie who wore too much eyeliner and loved skater boys. Trent Reznor is one of my top 5 rock gods."

"_Rock_ gods?" This was the first time he had heard of such gods.

"Oh yeah." She nodded, then realized who she was talking to … a guy who actually thought he _was_ a god. "He's not really a god, he just kind of steps into the role when he's on stage … and he's damn good at it. Come to think of it, if you really want to conquer the world and like, get people to love you. And I mean, _really_ love you … becoming a rock star is the way to go. People _love_ Trent Reznor. I even know straight dudes that would go down on him."

Loki looked confused. "You have more of these gods?"

"Sure. There are plenty of legendary rock stars. Like, David Bowie. He's another favorite of mine." She pointed to a new poster she'd put up in her office of Bowie looking dapper in a white suit.

"So that man is not a relation?"

Darcy laughed. "I wish, but he's only my husband in my dreams, unfortunately."

Loki rolled his eyes. "Midgardians are so peculiar."

"Whatever, dude. You don't have legendary musicians on Asgard?" She asked.

"No. Not like you seem to have. We do not hang up likenesses of those we are not related to."

Now it was Darcy's turn to be confused. "You don't have anyone who's revered? Respected for their talents? Legendary? People with fangirls and boys?"

Loki thought on it for a second. "Yes. We have warriors. Perhaps a few scholars. A healer or two."

Darcy frowned. "Midgardians are peculiar, you say? Well, Asgardians sound _boring_," she said with conviction. "Present company excluded, of course. I don't think I would have made it through high school without rock music. I don't get it, dude. Art just makes life so much more … like, sweeter. More tolerable."

Music was such an important outlet for so many people … it was no wonder Loki turned out the way he did if his society only seemed to revere warriors in such a way. It all sounded downright depressing.

"There are artists on Asgard," he said indignantly.

"Name one."

He blinked, defeated. "I cannot."

Darcy grinned. "I'll make you a playlist you can listen to on your laptop. You'll love it. And then maybe I can take you to a concert."

Then she remembered he was still bound to the building. "Or … I'll take you to a concert when you're able to get out of here."

Loki's demeanor instantly changed from miffed to strangely excited. "That's what I came here to tell you," he said. "I struck a deal with Tony Stark and fulfilled my end of the bargain."

Darcy smiled, curious. "What did you do?" This probably wasn't good.

"I simply uncovered the truth about a new employee who was lying about their intentions." He smirked.

"Whoa, sounds like your inner polygraph test is being put to good use. Who did you find?"

Loki shrugged. "He was a weak liar, some fool that was wanted by the agency your ex-paramour works for." A slow smile crept upon Loki's face. "I'm afraid he'll be leaving soon to escort the man back to his country."

"Ian's leaving?" Darcy's raised her eyebrows.

"I'm afraid so." Loki said, in mock sympathy.

"Loki! That's awesome!"

He inclined his head. "You wished him to leave?"

Darcy chose her words carefully. "Well, I mean, it was nice to see him. He's still a friend … but I could tell that he came here with ideas, and I didn't want to hurt him." She paused. "I don't like being put in those types of situations."

"But whatever!" Her demeanor suddenly changed. "You're breaking outta here! We need to celebrate. Get a few people together and go out. Loki's first night on the town … this should be interesting." She smiled and brought her fingers together like Mr. Burns from _The Simpsons_, making her look positively wicked.

"And they call me the trickster."

* * *

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Darcy was not happy.

She was cool with Loki living in Stark Tower, but living right across the hall from her? So not what she had imagined.

She called Tony up immediately. "What the hell, man?"

She had come home from work to find movers carrying in several boxes, the possessions that Loki had accumulated during his short stay on Earth. When she'd asked who was moving in, they told her "Luke Owens", an associate of Mr. Stark's.

"What?" Tony feigned shock. "I thought you'd be happy to have your friend in mischief as your neighbor. All the better to keep your eye on him."

"This wasn't what I had in mind."

"Well, then Thor will be able to look after baby bro better this way." He knew that the God of Thunder was currently shacking up with Dr. Foster.

Darcy didn't think it was a good idea to have Loki so close to Jane. "Did you not get the memo that they're not exactly best buds these days?"

"Then it's perfect! They'll have ample opportunity for brother bonding time. It'll be fun. They can have a slumber party. Watch _Point Break_ and _Reindeer Games_ on Netflix."

"I don't know how good of an idea this is …"

"Listen, kid." Tony's voice dropped and got quiet. "I'm going to be uncharacteristically serious here for a second, which doesn't happen often, so you should feel pretty awesome and honored right now."

This got Darcy's attention.

"Here's the thing. Only the most trusted S.H.I.E.L.D. agents are offered the privilege of living in Stark Tower, mainly because of a deal I struck with Fury. There are absolutely no listening devices allowed on the premises, and the building is swept regularly for bugs. The only reason why I'm talking to you now on the phone is because inside the building, if there are any bugs on your phone, the sound will be scrambled. Of course, Prancer's room will be monitored by J.A.R.V.I.S., which is the best way to go about this, because it is of my opinion that he's better off with me than he is at HQ." He paused. "The guy we caught today is bad news and we're damn lucky that he didn't figure out who Loki was."

"Who was he?" Darcy was beginning to get scared.

"Someone who should not have been there. And the fact that he was, makes me trust S.H.I.E.L.D. even less than I did before, if that's possible. Since MI6 already has a claim on him, he's being extradited back to London tonight with your man, The Spy Who Loved Me, and a few of our agents. Fury is leaving for D.C. to make sure a project there is going smoothly. Coulson is on his air-bus with his own band of merry misfits. So that leaves you, me, Thor, Clint and Banner to look after our beloved Asgardian. He can't fall into the wrong hands, you dig?"

"I dig." Darcy thought for a second. "What about Steve?"

"Cap will be going to D.C."

"Oh." She wasn't ready to relinquish her "Good Steve" just yet.

"He'll be okay, kid. He's practically indestructible."

"Yeah … " She said, sounding incredibly sad.

"So do you understand why Loki needs to be near you and Thor?" Tony figured he'd killed two birds with one stone by moving him in near Darcy and Thor. It made sure that people Stark trusted were keeping an eye out, and also placated Prancer at the same time.

"I understand." Darcy said quietly.

"Good." His tone switched back to classic Tony. "And the two of you better not do anything like fill the whole hallway with Halloween candy, or nerf balls, or soap suds, or whatever, in your ongoing battle of the pranks."

"Hey! Who is the one that helped him with all that green candy?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Tony hung up the phone.

She was really starting to hate when he did that.

* * *

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Ian had a little time left before he had to get on a plane back to London with the man they had in custody. One one hand, he was excited … bringing the guy back would certainly look good in the eyes of his superiors, he really couldn't have asked for a better opportunity falling into his lap. But on the other hand, he didn't get the chance to spend much time with Darcy, who was the biggest reason why he had wanted to come to America.

Ian figured they'd see the sites together, maybe go to a few shows, and maybe, just maybe … he could convince her to come back home with him. He knew it was a long-shot, but he wanted to at least try. Now, that would have to be saved for another time. Hopefully there would be another occasion soon.

He had asked Darcy to meet him in Central Park for their one sight-seeing adventure on his too-short trip. When she met him at the Bethesda Fountain, he urged them to start walking and took out his scanner.

"What's that?" Darcy looked confused.

Ian brought his finger to his lips in the universal sign to keep quiet.

He took out his phone and pointed to it, swiping the scanner over it … showing her it was clean. She took out her phone so he could do the same thing. Clean. He then swiped it over her purse. Clean.

He spoke up. "I just needed to make sure we wouldn't be heard."

Darcy's brows furrowed. "What's going on, Ian? This has been a really weird day … and I'm starting to get scared."

He guided them on down the path. "I'm about to bend a few rules here, but I can't leave without telling you what's going on. I can't go back to London without making sure that you're being as safe as possible."

"Okay?"

He spoke in a hushed tone. "That man your friends Luke and Tony discovered?"

She nodded.

"His name is Edvin Zola. He's the great-grandnephew of a notorious HYDRA scientist who did some pretty horrifying experiments back during WWII. Apparently the elder Zola was captured by S.H.I.E.L.D. and eventually started working for them until his death. His nephew, though, is quite the nasty bastard. He's been wanted by MI6 for stealing intelligence for quite some time."

"Does this have anything to do with your meeting with Director Fury?"

Ian nodded. "Yes. I'd be in big trouble for telling you this, but I don't care." He took a deep breath. "We found a few loyal members of HYDRA within our ranks."

Darcy came to a halt. "Aren't they supposed to be wiped out?"

"Yes. They were. But it looks like they've resurfaced. That was my big project. After the double agents came to light, it was my job to figure out, statistically speaking, who else could be working for HYDRA using several factors, including their records in the field. The ones that were most likely to be traitors were put through vigorous questioning. It was also my job to make sure that all HYDRA prisoners that are still alive, were where they were supposed to be. Some were there. Some were not. The ones that were not there had to have been broken out somehow."

It all made sense to Darcy. "That's how you found the other prisoners? The ones going into the trances … your stats picked up something else."

"Yep."

"This HYDRA thing … is it why people are leaving?"

"Yes. Director Fury is apparently rushing to D.C. to oversee a big project that cannot fall into enemy hands. And Steve Rogers will be going too, but I don't think he knows the reason why yet, and you can't tell him. I'm risking a lot by telling you all of this. He'll find out in due time, if things go bad."

Darcy nodded, tears welling up in her eyes. She didn't deserve to have him care for her like this. She felt dazed. "Whoa … HYDRA. They were supposed to be defeated. Along with the nazis."

"I know." He agreed. "But as they say, 'If a head is cut off, two more will take its place'. No one is sure how deep it goes. If HYDRA is hiding themselves in plain sight among S.H.I.E.L.D.'s ranks, things could get very dangerous. At the first sign of trouble, get out of town, Darcy."

She shook her head. "I'm an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., Ian … I can't just run away."

He put his hands on her shoulders. "You can. And you will. I don't want anything happening to you. I hope that we're all just being overly cautious. We were able to nip the HYDRA problem in the bud at MI6. But it could be different with S.H.I.E.L.D. and I'm not taking any chances with you."

Darcy closed her eyes. He was too good to her.

"One more thing." He said. She looked up at him.

"I know that your friend Luke is in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s protection for some reason, judging by the way Stark and Fury were talking about him in vague language."

Darcy nodded, but she didn't elaborate. She couldn't disclose who Loki was, not even to Ian. It wasn't her secret to tell.

"It's okay, Darcy. The less I know about him, the better. But what I do know is that he's obviously got a brilliant mind if he's working with Stark and Banner. They're doing some top secret work with weapons, and unfortunately, Edvin Zola now knows about it. I don't think he knows Luke's true identity, but Zola does know that a person named Luke exists and that he has superior knowledge of the project. And we don't know if the wanker has been talking to anyone … yet."

"Fuck." There were only a handful of people that knew Loki was alive, but if there were traitors in their midst, who knew what someone could have heard. _Fuck_.

"So listen to me." Ian bent down and looked her in the eyes. "If things go bad within S.H.I.E.L.D., if they can't nip it in the bud like MI6 was able to … you must leave. And take Luke with you."

All Darcy could do was nod weakly. What would happen if HYDRA got hold of Loki? Their plans, back in the day, were pretty much the same as Loki's had been. World domination. Would he turn willingly if he knew about their existence? She didn't want to think about it.

"It's starting to get really dark." Ian said. "I have a plane to catch, and I'm going to see you to a cab." He paused. "Will you contact me ... how you and Jane taught me? If things go bad?"

Darcy nodded and took two steps toward him to give him a hug. She wrapped her arms tightly around him, his familiar scent filling her nose. It was a mixture of masculine cologne and herbally aftershave. When they first dated, she thought the two distinct fragrances clashed, but now she thought it was perfect for him.

Ian bent over and picked her up so she was at eye-level, it was something he used to do when they were together, so she could comfortably get her arms around his neck. He rocked her gently, her legs swinging slightly.

Darcy buried her face in his neck. She felt terrible that she wanted him to leave earlier. Now she didn't want to let go. "Please be careful. Promise me."

"I promise."

* * *

XXXXXX

Darcy was beyond weary … it had been a hell of a day. She walked down the hall to her apartment door with many things on her mind.

As she began to turn her key in the lock, a door opened behind her.

"Darcy." His voice sent vibrations down her spine.

She turned around. Loki was standing in his new doorway. Jeans. T-shirt. Barefoot. He actually looked quite at home. He actually looked kinda happy.

Darcy didn't have the heart to tell him that an evil space demon was after him, on top of the fact that HYDRA could be on his trail. It was just too much. Way too much.

And even though nothing had happened with Ian, they had only hugged in the park after all, she still felt strangely guilty for the tender moments she had shared with her ex-boyfriend. Like she had been cheating in some way … which was totally weird.

"Are you unwell?" Loki asked, noting that she looked a bit melancholy.

She smiled weakly. "I'm fine. It's just been a very long day. But look at you! Your own place. I'm happy for you."

Loki grinned. "Would you like to come in? I have your _Star Wars_ discs, want to watch one? I wish to see the little Yoda man. I have a shirt with his likeness on it, after all."

Darcy opened her mouth to decline … the whole way home, all she wanted to do was crawl into bed and fall into a blissful sleep. But the thought of turning her brain off to watch Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader sounded like an even better plan. She needed some smiles … and some Han Solo."

"You know." Darcy's weak smile turned into a strong one. "That sounds perfect."

She put her keys back into her purse and walked towards Loki's new apartment.

"There's just one thing I want you to know before we start the movie," she said.

"What's that?"

"Han shot first."

* * *

XXXXXXXX

**AN2: Thanks for all the amazing reviews for chapter 13. They had me smiling from ear to ear. I really appreciate all of you, and I feel like I now have kindred spirits in tasertricks fandom. Thanks, y'all. I'm having a lot of fun writing this :-D I hope it continues to entertain. **


	15. Chapter 15

**AN: This is a long one, ye be warned. And in my haste to put it up, I might not have caught all the typos, so feel free to send me a line if there are any embarrassing or glaring mistakes. If I stare at something long enough, I can't see it anymore. All of this is obviously un-beta'd ... and I'm pretty new to fan-fiction, so I'm not really all that sure how to go about it. Anyway. I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

_Darcy opened her eyes and found that she was lying under the dogwood trees in her grandmother's backyard, sprawled out in the grass, watching their small flowers float in the breeze. Every spring, tiny petals of pink and white would shower the avenues in a gentle blanket. It was one of her favorite times of the year … when the lazy heat started to roll in. Things always moved a little slower in Louisiana, no one was ever in much of a hurry, but when the hot weather arrived, exertion came to a screeching halt during the day, though the nights were magic and fragrant, filled with music and possibility._

_It was her grandmother's haven, but it also wasn't. Things were too shimmery here, a little too bright, though not so bright that she had to squint. She could see perfectly. Everything. Even the tiny veins in the petals floating down around her face. The colors were so very rich and vibrant. Darcy turned her head, her cinnamon-colored hair fanned out around her. Ivy was lying there right next to her, with blonde curls clashing with the emerald-green blades. It was something they used to do as children, lay in the grass and tell stories. Share dreams. Gossip like tiny southern belles._

_"You know I can only reach you in dreams of memories." Darcy's young friend said. She looked like a kid, being only eighteen when she left the physical world, but had the eyes of an ancient wise woman._

_"I haven't dreamt anything in a long time." She said back, feeling the exact opposite, like she had grown so much older but hadn't learned a thing._

_"And you allow yourself now?" Ivy smiled at the thought of Darcy letting her guard down. All those walls._

_"I'm afraid I'm growing weak. I'm not sure what's happening. I'm scared … but I'm also … "_

_"It's okay, you know," said her dear friend, as if she was reading Darcy's mind._

_"What's okay?"_

_Ivy only grinned with a no-so-faint trace of mischief on her lips._

_"I see the afterlife hasn't changed you much. Are you happy there?"_

_"You know I am. I wish you'd stop being sad when you think of me. And you can tell him not to be sad either … or angry."_

_Darcy sighed. Life is so much more complicated for the living._

_"It's okay, you know." Ivy said one last time._

* * *

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Darcy shot up in bed. She could distantly hear the alarm going off on her phone. Something was wrong. It was too muted. She looked around, confused … vivid dreams always disoriented her, like she had blacked out the night before. This was so not her bed. _Shit_. This was so not her apartment.

She looked down. _Hallelujah_! Clothes still on! _Thank God_. She looked to her side. No partner. And it didn't look like there had been a person beside her at any point, judging from the way the sheets and blankets were perfectly undisturbed to her right.

But this was obviously Loki's new bedroom. There wasn't much in it, just basic furnishings courtesy of Stark Tower, but he did manage to dress his bed up in golden sateen sheets that were probably at least a thousand-thread-count Egyptian cotton. On top was a luxurious green duvet. _Green. Why did he have to be so damn predictable?_

What had happened? Right. They had watched _A New Hope_ and _The Empire Strikes Back_. Darcy had been exhausted to begin with, and started to fight sleep sometime around Luke's training on the planet Dagobah. She managed to stay awake for her favorite part … when Leia told Han Solo she loved him, and he was like … "_I know_." She smiled just thinking about it. Han was so pimp.

She must have fallen asleep on the couch and Loki had to have carried her in here. The thought made her heart speed up a little bit. She hoped she hadn't been like, drooling or anything. That would have certainly been attractive.

Darcy realized that she couldn't see far away and looked around for her glasses. She found them on the nightstand. He must have taken them off, folded them up, and placed them next to her. Weird. She figured he'd be the type of guy that would just let her sleep on the couch … like, if he couldn't get a servant to pick up a passed-out girl for him, then he'd just leave her there. She found it surprising that he could be so considerate. Darcy faintly remembered Thor's words from several days ago … he'd said that contrary to what his recent behavior would lead one to believe, Loki had always been known to treat a lady like a gentleman. _Lady_ being the operative word, not peasant.

Darcy stood and smoothed out the clothes she had worn the day before, an a-line skirt with a blue flowery print and a plain dark-blue top. She couldn't believe she had slept in these clothes, the underwire in her bra was seriously digging into her skin. She wished she could teleport into her bathroom so she could take it all off, but unfortunately, she was going to have to walk through Loki's place to get there.

Trying to think of what to do, she paced a few times about the room … she didn't want things to get weird, so she decided to just walk through the doorway and head out into the living area, cool as a cucumber.

After patting down her hair as best she could, Darcy walked down the hall and to the kitchen where Loki, naturally, was already awake and sitting at the breakfast table, looking at formulas on his laptop. He hadn't changed out of his clothes from last night either … probably because she had occupied the room where his wardrobe was kept. He also looked as perfect as always, not a hair out of place. _Fucker._

"I'm sorry, I guess I passed out," she said timidly. "You should have been able to sleep in your own bed on your first night in this place."

"It's quite alright." Loki shrugged, acting nonchalant, but he was more than happy to have her sleep in his bed. Pity he hadn't been in it as well. She looked positively delicious with her bedroom-hair and flushed cheeks. _Ahem_. "The couch provided the most comfortable sleep I've had in some time."

_Well, that was sad_, Darcy thought.

"Did you finish the movie?"

"No. You told me not to watch without you, and no amount of shaking or setting off explosions would have inspired you to awaken," he grinned.

"Oh. Sorry." Darcy was embarrassed. "I was exhausted." She went to get her purse off the counter-top where it sat from the night before, and took out her phone to shut the alarm off. It would ring again very soon as Darcy always needed at least three alerts to wake up.

She sighed. "I need coffee … and to get ready for work. I'll see you there?"

"Ah. No." Loki frowned, unable to mask his disappointment. "Tony Stark and Bruce Banner are currently moving their work here, so I'll be upstairs."

"Gotcha."

He thought of something. "Have you made plans yet?"

"Huh?"

"Yesterday you mentioned, how did you say, 'a night on the town'?"

"Oh! Yeah." A nice distraction from space demons and evil new world orders would be welcome. "I'll figure some shit out." Darcy was still in a sleepy daze and she wanted to get out of there. "I'll text you later, my coffee-maker is calling to me."

She started to walk towards the door. "Oh. By the way, I don't care if your bosses complain, but I'm coming back to get you at two o'clock. You're getting a haircut today." She gave him a big smile, put her purse on her shoulder, and left before he could react.

As Darcy shut Loki's apartment door behind her, Thor fucking Odinson decided to pick the best possible time in the history of the world to open Jane's door. As soon as he saw her, his mouth spread into a big knowing grin.

Darcy immediately put a finger in his face. "This is not what it looks like, Thor! So get those dirty thoughts out of you head!"

He only laughed. "What it looks like is that you are leaving my brother's quarters very early in the morning. What else could it possibly be?"

"Oh, God … I so don't need this right now." She hurriedly took her keys out of her purse. "We were watching a movie last night, and I fell asleep because I was exhausted. That's it!"

"Of course." Thor said, biting back another laugh.

Darcy fiddled with her lock, opened the door, and slammed it behind her. _Fuck_. If Thor didn't have ideas before, he sure was going to have them now … and he was going to be relentless.

* * *

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Loki was left pondering his evening with his new neighbor. Darcy had clearly been tired, but was eager to watch the movies with him. She obviously knew the movies by heart, and yet watched as though she was viewing them through fresh eyes, as if she never tired of the tale of the wars between the stars, always finding something new to enjoy. There were also scenes where she would erupt into unrestrained laughter, even though she knew full well what was going to happen. She really was so very peculiar … and endearing, alluring … _intoxicating_.

After the princess confessed her love to the clever rebel pilot, Darcy literally melted in her seat, as in, she acted as if she suddenly had no bones in her body, sighed loudly and feigned light-headedness. All this over two words, "_I know_." One of the things Loki had learned about these Midgardians was that they had the ability to be so … _passionate_. They fell in love with the strangest things. There were so many possibilities here, so many options and obsessions to chase. Like Darcy's books about the young wizard … they also had movies for each tale in the series, one book actually having two. The concept of being so drawn into these imaginary worlds was entirely foreign to an Asgardian.

Loki got up and walked over to the couch where he had slept the night before. On the coffee table were a pair of her rather large earrings. Darcy had absentmindedly taken them off during the first movie, as they were probably growing very heavy upon her ears. It was a simple gesture, but he was struck by the subtle intimate connotation. She felt comfortable enough to make sure she was at ease, taking her earrings off and setting them on his furniture, as if she were at home.

He heard a knock at the door and he hurriedly answered it, thinking she had come back to retrieve her earrings.

"Brother!"

Loki's face fell. "Thor." His big towering older sort-of-sibling was taking up his doorway in his ridiculous flannel-shirt get-up. He belonged on a package of the paper towels that were stacked in his new pantry.

Thor wore a toothy grin, something that Loki hadn't seen directed at him in quite some time. "Thought I was someone else, did you?" His brother asked.

Loki didn't respond, just stepped back to let him in. "What is it that you want?" He said blandly.

"I just wished to see the look on your face." Thor peered into Loki's eyes, searching. "Nay, you did not bed the lady last night … but you _want_ to." He laughed and reached around, slapping his younger brother on the back, hard.

"Don't, Thor." Loki said through his teeth.

The God of Thunder raised an eyebrow. "Do not deny it. I know a man besotted when I see one."

Loki turned and walked back to the kitchen, indignant. "She does not see me in that way. I am nothing more than a work assignment." He hoped this wasn't true, but he wanted Thor off his back.

"Nonsense." His brother followed. "Though Jane does tell me that Darcy likes to put would-be suitors in something Midgardians call "the friend-zone". You must make your intentions known or you will suffer the same fate as the captain."

The younger sibling's brow furrowed. "Are you sure that the captain wishes to woo her?"

Thor's stupid grin returned. "Ah! _That_ certainly got your attention didn't it, now I'm sure of your desire."

Loki rolled his eyes.

"It matters not about the captain." Thor shrugged. "He's in the "friend-zone", and leaves soon for another city."

This was certainly good news, but Loki didn't feel comfortable revealing too much yet. "In truth, none of this matters," he said with a grim expression. "She is mortal."

Thor's face fell. The talk of his brother's miraculous interest in a woman had opened up a lifeline between them, fleeting as it was. He put a hand on Loki's shoulder. "You are a master of deception and lies, dear brother, and it looks as though you weave them even for yourself." He gave a sad smile.

Loki sighed. Deep down in the hidden recesses of his shriveled heart, he didn't want the one thread of common ground they seemed to have formed to be severed either. Were they actually conversing in a civil manner? About women? Stemmed from their interest in a pair of friends? "And what, exactly, could you _possibly_ see happening, Thor? Please, enlighten me."

Thor's hopeful smile slowly returned. "That if you allow yourself, you may actually achieve a small shred of happiness? I know, the notion sounds ludicrous, does it not?" His face then became serious. "But it will take no small amount of work. These modern Midgardian women are so very different than anything we've known."

For what felt like the hundredth time in the last few minutes, Loki rolled his eyes … but he listened to what his brother had to say.

"They're … creative." Thor began his observations of the female sex of this earthly realm. "And they never cease to surprise."

* * *

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Darcy was sitting, idly swinging back and forth in a vacant salon chair next to Loki, texting Steve. She couldn't look up without laughing uncontrollably, so she was trying to busy herself on her phone, making plans for the evening.

The cab ride over to her favorite salon for Loki's haircut had been interesting, which was probably the Asgardian's first. She was pretty certain that the transportation to his new digs had been in one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s classic un-marked black vans that didn't exactly allow for the enjoyment of the scenery.

Loki had looked out the window at the hustle and bustle of Manhattan, peering up at the tall buildings, probably remembering … things. "Looks a little different from down here, doesn't it?" She had said, alluding to his previous views of the city, soaring in the air on one of the Chitauri's flying jet-skis.

At the moment, she was trying not to look at him, wrapped in a plastic salon smock, his hair freshly shampooed and wet, combed over his face … even that sight alone was enough to send her into hysterics, but her favorite stylist, who also happened to be fabulously flamboyant, was openly flirting with him. Loki's facial expressions threatened to make her laugh until she cried. He looked beyond uncomfortable.

"Luke?" She said without looking up at him.

"Yes? What other indignities do you have planned for me today?"

The stylist, Thom (who made sure to mention that his name had an "H" in it), tapped Loki on his shoulder with a comb. "Hush, now. She's only trying to make you look your most gorgeous by getting you the best cut and _blow_ in the city."

Loki raised his eyebrow at that. There would be no blowing in this establishment. Not in any sense of the word.

Darcy snuck in a look. Nope, not a good idea, his hair had been pinned into sections. She suppressed a laugh. "How do you feel about a karaoke night? A dual party … honoring your newfound status as apartment owner and Steve's new mission?" That last part wasn't exactly a reason for a celebration, but she still wanted to do something special for Cap.

"I'm afraid to ask, but what does a karaoke night entail?" Loki said dryly.

"It's fun, I promise." Darcy tried to sound reassuring, though she still wouldn't look up. "It's like going to any other bar except you can sing songs. It's a good time, and hilarious. I won't make you get up on stage, I swear."

"Good, because you have a better chance of seeing me grovel on my hands and knees before my father than you do of getting me to sing on a Midgardian stage."

The stylist gave a sharp intake of breath. "Daaamn, honey, you are _tense_. Someone needs to help you relax a little," Thom observed as he trimmed Loki's hair.

"Right?" Darcy replied. She didn't notice Loki's faint blush at her suggestion that he needed a little tension relief. He'd be more than happy to let her take a crack at it.

"Anyway." She went on. "Everyone is on board, but I just want to make sure you're cool with Jane coming along."

He smiled slightly at her consideration. "It's fine. I'm sure my brother will occupy her time."

"Awesome!" Darcy grinned up at him. "Because I need Jane for the songs I sing."

"You're going to perform?" This should be interesting.

"Of course! We promised Cap a very special song."

Loki suppressed what seemed to be his 300th eye-roll of the day and wondered what Thor thought of the threesome that was Jane, Darcy, and Steve Rogers. On Asgard, such a friendship would be seen as unseemly for ladies who had been claimed. Loki certainly wasn't unhappy to see the good captain relocated and he wondered if Thor would ever admit to feeling the same way.

Darcy's phone began to go off to the ringtone of Eve's "Let Me Blow Ya Mind", which meant it was her friend Jules calling.

"Do you have a song for when my number rings you?" Loki wondered.

"Of course."

"What is it?"

"Kanye." She looked at him as though it was a given. Of course Loki's ringtone would be Kanye West, what else would it be?

She pointed a finger at her phone and started to get up. "I'm going to take this outside."

"Absolutely not." His mouth had set into a firm line and his eyes bore a hole through her head, telling her not to leave him alone in this establishment with the ostentatious man and his sharp scissors and innuendos.

Darcy complied but rolled her eyes and brought the phone up to her ear. "Hey ho." She went back to swinging in her salon chair like a little kid.

"Sup hooker." Jules said on the other line. "Can we talk, or should we speak in bands?"

"Totally." Darcy smiled at the familiar and welcome sound of Jules' voice. She missed her fearless and no-nonsense banter. "I'm always up for new tunes." _Yes, let's speak in bands._

"Gotcha. Can you make it down for the Voodoo festival?" _Can you come to New Orleans? Miss Ramona would like to see you._

"You have a new band for me to see?" _You have answers_?

"_Hell_ yeah, it's some serious Ghostface Killah shit." That seemed pretty self-explanatory.

"Damn, girl. I'll see what I can do. If I can still get tickets."

"They sellin' out quick."

"I hear ya." Darcy began to wonder how she could ever clear a trip to New Orleans with Loki in tow to Director Fury.

"You gonna bring this new guy with you?" Jules asked as if she were reading Darcy's mind about who she was thinking about.

She sighed … "It's not like that."

"You forget who you're talkin' to, hooker. You've been letting your guard down. We can feel it."

"I'll call you back when I get home." This was not a conversation to be had in a salon and among other people.

"Aight. Then you can tell me all about him." Jules was insistent.

"Whatever, bitch. Love you."

"It's okay, you know. Love ya too ... ho!"

She hung up and felt a serious flash of déjà vu. Darcy looked up to find Loki staring at her incredulously. "What?" She said, confused.

"You just called this person several derogatory terms and then said 'I love you'?" He was sticking with his earlier assessment of Midgardians, they were downright peculiar.

Darcy opened her mouth to reply, but Thom had just finished his work, having smoothed a small amount of product in Loki's hair and taking the smock off. She sat back and enjoyed the scenery. "Daaamn, Luke, you look _fine_. My compliments to you, Thom!" She held up her hands and clapped for them.

Loki had refused to let the stylist blow-dry his hair, so his now chin-length hair was curling at the ends. She quite enjoyed his black locks worn soft, some of it framing his angular face and the rest tucked behind his ears. She had never warmed to his way of severely combing it back. The shape of this cut made him look a lot less Dracula-esque. No one would recognize him this way.

"Gurl, I can't take all the credit." Thom said, admiring his work. "This is one fine specimen of man that you found."

Loki looked uncomfortable and ready to get out of there, though in his suit and new haircut he looked as if he could grace the pages of GQ.

Darcy laughed and nodded in agreement. "He is," she said. Perhaps she should just stop fighting this attraction a little bit. Jules' words had struck a chord.

Loki peered at her curiously. Something had changed.

"Come on." Darcy shook all the feels out. "We've gotta meet everyone in the lobby at Stark Tower. We're all skipping out of work early today," she said with the biggest of smiles on her face.

* * *

XXXXXXXXXX

"Alright. Two more, Thor! We're gonna need two more … each!" Jane called over to her boyfriend as he headed to the bar to get more drinks.

"Two more of what?" Loki asked.

Darcy explained. "Jaeger bombs. Jane needs at least three to be able to get up on stage."

"Hey!" Jane was already well on her way. "After 'Shoop' can we do a song off of 'Watch the Throne'?"

"Sure! But I get the Jay-Z part." Darcy chugged her beer.

"Hey! Not fair, I don't do Kanye very well."

"Fine." She set the beer down. "I'll be Kanye."

This person sounded vaguely familiar to Loki. "Is this the Kanye with the song that rings you when I call?" He asked.

"Yep."

"And why is that?" He was curious.

Darcy looked to Jane, then back to Loki. "Because you guys could be twins."

Jane nodded. "Totally."

Loki frowned and brought up a picture of Kanye West on his phone. The man couldn't look anymore less like him if he tried. "This man is who I remind you of?" He held up the screen.

Both girls nodded. "Isn't it like looking in a mirror?" Darcy said with a straight face.

Loki sighed. "The two of you are obviously inebriated enough already to do what it is you need to do."

_Why was he acting like such a dick?_

"Loki? Darcy asked. He answered by raising an eyebrow. "Lighten up."

"And drink your Jaeger bombs." Jane demanded, as Thor brought several over to their table. "Just remember … no smashing!" His only response was an eye-roll.

Darcy's eyes widened. "Loki, I'm worried that you're gonna give yourself a stroke if you roll your eyes one more time." She held up her drink to him and he begrudgingly lifted one of his as well in a truce.

Everyone downed their drinks, even Steve, taking turns between toasting the new apartment-owner and the one moving away.

Darcy was concerned that Loki had succumbed to surliness because of his close proximity to Jane … but she also had an inkling that he didn't like it very much when the girls had walked into the karaoke bar, one on each of Steve's arms, as if he were Bruce Wayne or Hugh Hefner.

Even though there were other people with them tonight, instead of the usual three, it didn't mean they were going to break the tradition of teasing Cap by making him look like a pimp. For once, he had out-pimped Tony Stark, who now only had one woman on his arm these days, and Pepper looked excited to be out and about.

The various members of S.H.I.E.L.D. and The Avengers present had claimed a big table near the front of the stage early on. Even Clint decided to show up, though he and Bruce sort of sat off to the side in order to talk.

By the time Darcy and Jane's turn was up, the group was well on their way to being straight-up hammered. The girls had known the words to the song by heart as well as the dance moves they picked up from the video for a few years now. They always broke out their favorite renditions when things got too boring or too stressful. But in the past, usually their audience tended to be only Erik Selvig, who barely paid attention to their antics, and maybe a few interns. In order for them to perform in front of a whole bar full of people, liquid courage was a necessity.

They had also been used to wearing jeans and tennis shoes during such numbers, but tonight would have to settle for getting down in their work clothes. Darcy was wearing a short sleeveless black dress over thick tights and boots with a cardigan, but she took it off before going on, suddenly becoming hot with stage-fright. Jane wore grey dress pants and a white fitted button-down with heels. They looked like the last people in the world who would be rapping to Salt-N-Pepa's "Shoop."

Jane was aware of Thor's eyes on her as he grinned from ear to ear while sitting next to his brother. Their shared interest in the close friends had softened their hard feelings for one another, at least for tonight. Darcy was surprised to find that Clint's attention on her from the crowd affected her none whatsoever, and was just glad that he had come to be a part of this gathering of friends, even with Loki in attendance. The one she found herself being nervous around was the aforementioned God of Mischief … she could feel his blue-green eyeballs on her as the the music started and they began their ireverant dance moves.

Jane's part was up first, who blushed ferociously at the lyrics she rapped.

**_"Here I go, here I go, here I go again_**

**_Girls, what's my weakness?"_**

"**Men**!" Darcy yelled into her microphone. Jane continued, though looked like she could fall over into hysterical laughing at any second.

**_"Okay then, chillin', chillin', mindin' my business_**

**_I looked around, and I couldn't believe this_**

**_I swear, I stared, my niece my witness_**

**_The brother had it goin' on with somethin' kinda,_**

**_Wicked, wicked had to kick it_**

**_I'm not shy so I asked for the digits … "_**

At this point, the two extremely attractive rapping white girls had caught the attention of quite a few patrons and had drawn a pretty big audience. Thor was laughing and glowing with pride at watching Jane light up the stage, and Loki, for the first time in decades (not counting that time he was muzzled, of course) was rendered speechless. He could only stare and drink the dark beer his brother had brought him. Tony Stark could be heard whistling from the bar.

_**"Shoop shoop ba-doop**_

_**Shoop ba-doop**_

_**Shoop ba-doop ba-doop ba-doop"**_

When Darcy's part was up, she worked the stage with ease, a strange courage coming over her, not even caring that she was showing a little skin because of her discarded cardigan. Her ample cleavage was actually giving her some confidence for once. She wished her pro-boob S.O. Natasha were here to see it, she'd be proud.

**_"Umm, you're packed and you're stacked, 'specially in the back_**

**_Brother, wanna thank your mother for a butt like that_**

**_Can I get some fries with that shake shake boogie?_**

**_If looks could kill you would be an Uzi_**

**_You're a shotgun, bang! What's up with that thang?_**

**_I wanna know, how does it hang?_**

**_Straight up, wait up, hold up, Mr. Lov-ah_**

**_Like Prince said you're a sexy mutha … "_**

Loki was shocked … did she just ask to what direction someone's manhood hung? He looked over to Steve Rogers, who seemed to be laughing so hard he couldn't breath. It dawned on him that out of everyone in their party, he was the only one acting like an old-fashioned disapproving geezer. Even the squeaky-clean good captain had loosened up. Even Clint Barton was showing that he knew how to smile. What in The Nine had become of him? He knocked back his drink.

**_" … On your mark, get set, go, let me go, let me shoop_**

**_To the next man in the three-piece suit … "_**

Darcy realized as she was rapping the words, that Loki was in fact, wearing a three-piece suit, so she just went with it, smiled and looked right at him while finishing the rest of the lyrics. He'd been in a bad mood all day, maybe he'd perk up a little bit.

**_"I spend all my dough, ray me, cutie_**

**_Shoop shoop a-doobie like Scooby Dooby Doo_**

**_I love you in your tight jeans, you give me nice dreams_**

**_You make me wanna scream, "Ooo, ooo, ooo!"_**

**_I like what ya do, when you do_**

**_You make me wanna shoop"_**

The minx was looking right at him when she said (sang? recited poetry? or whatever this strange music was) these provocative things with her breasts bouncing deliciously to the beat. Loki was compelled to shift in his seat while scooting his chair closer to the table so no one could see the lower-half of his body.

"What do you think, brother?" Thor had observed his younger sibling's shock and awe. "I told you, the women in this realm never cease to surprise."

Loki leaned over. "I am rather surprised to see Jane performing these dances … I always thought of her as, shall we say … more conservative?" He didn't want to outright say that he had formed the impression that Jane was a bit of a frigid wench.

Thor laughed. "It's been my experience that Darcy has a way of bringing out a person's more liberal … or sillier nature."

Loki allowed himself to laugh. If that wasn't the truth, he didn't know what was … he'd never felt siller in all his life than when he was in her presence, and it had been rather liberating during the few times he had opened himself up to it.

Thor looked at his brother, masking his astonished grin with a hand, acting as if he was wiping away at his mouth after taking a rather large sip of beer. He had almost lost hope to ever see a sincere laugh escape Loki's lips again … something that wasn't basking in someone else's pain, something that didn't accompany a sneer. The God of Thunder silently said a prayer to his ancestors, his mother, Odin, and anyone who would listen, that the rather remarkable girl up on stage who had inspired this behavior would treat Loki's heart with care. It was a miracle that even a shadow of the man The God of Mischief used to be had emerged. Thor wasn't sure he could withstand anymore rejection … without their mother's unfailing support in the face of heartbreak like in days past, he feared that Loki would fade back into darkness, never to return.

Thor watched Loki's gaze as it followed Darcy. The girls had finished their song and she walked off to the bar to get another drink. It was rather unfair to pin such hopes on this mortal girl, but it seemed the best and perhaps only way to get his brother back.

Darcy was buzzing with energy after their awesome performance and needed another drink to calm her nerves and bring her back down. She had a twenty in her hand and signaled to the bartender for a beer. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a group of what looked to be investment bankers, or something of their sort, ogling her.

The loudest one in the group slinked over to her from his stool. "I have to say, I enjoyed the view from down here," he smarmed. "Can I buy you a drink?"

She glanced over at him. He had that aging frat-boy quality to him, dirty blonde hair in a boringly standard haircut. Blue-grey dead eyes never leaving her cleavage. No doubt he had a very high opinion of himself as he had an unwarranted arrogance about him.

She raised an eyebrow. "You look like a grown-up version of the bully from _Karate Kid_. I can get my own beer, thanks." Darcy turned back to face the bar.

The guy didn't take her rejection well. "Figures," he spat. "A little slut playing hard to get." He went from being lecherous to straight-up menacing.

Darcy was drunk enough that she was past ignoring this asshole and she got angry. "I'm sorry," she said sarcastically … "I'm just not the kind of girl that enjoys getting her drinks roofied. It sucks that you need to resort to such methods." She turned her back to walk to the other end of the bar to get her drink.

The man shot out his hand and grasped her by the elbow, hard enough to bruise. Darcy's spidey-sense went off in full-force, her lower stomach starting to vibrate. This guy wasn't just a pervy asshole, he was a predator. Dangerous.

Loki made to stand up so he could walk over to the man who was grabbing Darcy and pound him into the floor, but Jane caught him by the arm.

"Don't," she said. "Darcy hates it when guys get all white-knight on her."

Loki looked down at his brother's lover like a peasant who dared to touch a prince. Thor glanced up at him apologetically, as he would probably be steaming from the ears as well if someone had dared to do the same thing to Jane.

"Or fine, whatever!" Jane said, responding to the look that her boyfriend's maniac brother was giving her. "Go see what happens. Be my guest."

Loki's eyes softened. For some reason, this girl was trying to give him advice and his anger had clouded his senses. He nodded to her and calmly walked over to where Darcy was arguing with the man he wished to break into a thousand pieces.

Darcy's hand went to the small holster strapped to her thigh that held her S.H.I.E.L.D.-issued pen-sized taser. She got in the asshole's face. "Do. Not. Touch. Me." She said through her teeth and inclined her head slightly. "I will _cut_ you." An energy emanated off of her and the guy instantly backed down, ready to return to his sorry bros with his tail between his legs.

"Darling." Loki said sweetly, letting Darcy know that he was directly behind her. "There you are," he said into her ear, a smile on his lips … but his eyes told a different story, as he stared the man down, conveying the fact that if he didn't leave, he was a dead man.

Darcy's eyes narrowed and she smiled, hopped up on the energy surrounding her and the luscious sound of the voice by her side. The defeated man was met with two people, evil grins on their faces, and who looked as if they were capable of murdering him. Loki's hands came from behind her and encircled her waist into an embrace, his hands resting on her stomach as he bent his head to plant the lightest of kisses on her neck. He was marveling at the fact that she had arched her neck slightly to allow for greater access, when he noticed a strange sensation running through his palms. A gentle humming electricity. _Magic_.

The magic was coming from _her_.

As the man they had completely crippled with fear turned to walk away, Darcy smoothly broke from their embrace. "I was just getting a drink." She smiled. "You want one?"

Loki, astonished, could only nod. Yes, he needed a drink. He needed several in fact.

"Hey guys." Steve came up to them, bringing with him a totally different vibe than what had just taken place, whatever it was. "I've said my farewells to everyone at the table … I've got to catch a cab." Loki looked at him, the next man he was about to murder.

Darcy turned to her friend. "You're leaving already?" Everything else was forgotten. She wasn't ready to say goodbye yet.

Cap gave a reluctant smile. "My flight is in a few hours."

She nodded and inclined her head to Loki, "Can you get our drinks? I'm gonna walk him out." Darcy handed him the twenty-dollar-bill she had been holding in her hand the whole time.

"Of course." He said, trying to maintain a calm that he didn't feel. Loki held out his hand to Darcy's friend, wanting nothing more than to rip his throat out. "Safe travels to you, Steve Rogers."

The good captain smiled sincerely and shook his hand before the pair of friends walked out of the bar together. Darcy looked back to Loki and mouthed "thank you" to him before heading out the door.

It didn't take Steve long to hail a cab as he and Darcy stood at the curb. She was rubbing her arms, all of a sudden cold from the New York October air.

"You should go back inside." He said, concerned. Always the gentleman.

"Hell no! I want to make sure you get safely into the car." Darcy punched him in the shoulder.

Steve laughed. "You're funny, you know that? Thanks for tonight. I had a lot of fun. I'm going to miss you guys. You especially."

"I'm going to miss you too. Do you know where you'll be staying?"

"Yeah." He didn't seem too excited about it. "They're setting me up in an apartment, apparently it's nice. I can only hope to find some nice people there. I'll be lucky if they're half as great as you."

"Ahhhh!" Darcy put her hand to her face and peered out through her fingers. "The schmaltz police are coming, Cap!" She took her hand down and smiled. "No, seriously, I don't know what I'm gonna do without you." She had been hiding the beginnings of tears in her eyes … probably had too much to drink, she thought.

Steve drew her into a hug and they embraced for several seconds before the cab honked. He kissed the top of her head reverently.

"Promise me you'll stay safe," Darcy said into his jacket before stepping back.

He grinned down at her. "I promise. You forget who you're talking to," said Captain America, the super soldier who she couldn't help but be scared for. "I'll see you soon. I'm not going to be gone forever." He got in the car and shut the door.

She walked up and knocked on the window then pointed at him. "Don't you dare get yourself frozen!"

He chuckled through the glass and they waved to each other as the car disappeared down the street.

Darcy walked over to a slightly secluded bench at the side of the bar where people went to smoke. She sat down and finally let the tears spill over, head in her hands. She had a bad feeling about Steve's trip, and she hoped against hope that tonight wasn't the last time she'd see him. She remembered the dream she had had earlier, before waking up in a strange bed. She remembered Ivy's face.

Darcy heard soft footsteps, and for a quick moment panicked, thinking that maybe the predatory investment banker had stalked after her, but there was no sense of menace accompanying the sound.

"Do you love him?" Said that new and yet familiar almost-tangible voice.

She looked up to see Loki holding out her cardigan, sadness on his beautiful face. He could be so full of expression when he wanted to.

She took the sweater from him. "No." She said softly. "Not in the way you're asking." It wasn't a lie. Sometimes she had wished she could love Cap, and if she was a more well-adjusted human being, she probably would have … but she didn't need to say all that.

Darcy was telling the truth. She did not love Steve Rogers. Loki relaxed and sat next to her, not really knowing what to do next.

She looked over to him, more tears falling onto her cheeks. "I just can't lose anymore friends. I can't."

Loki suddenly understood. Darcy, worried about the captain's mission, was thinking of the despair she felt when her young friend had died.

He leaned over slowly and she didn't back away … he bent down and kissed the tears on one cheek, and then the other.

Loki straightened up to look her in the eyes, searching. She was blinking in surprise, but wasn't going anywhere. She wasn't scared, or disgusted … she almost looked as if he'd comforted her. It filled him with something … hope? Whatever it was, the tightening in his chest was almost unbearable.

Darcy smiled slowly. He took this as permission to try something else. He leaned back down and pressed his mouth gently to hers. She responded, tasting her own tears on his lips, a briny heat as he slightly parted his mouth to catch her bottom lip in a kiss, caressed it with a flick of the tongue … something he had wanted to do the day they met, whether he had been willing to admit it at the time or not.

The heady desire that overcame him almost demanded that he crush her against him so that he could devour her, but they were in a public space and Loki didn't feel right taking this any further while she was so upset. He conjured up some semblance of control, brought his hands up to her face and gently broke the kiss, looking at her in the eyes again, this time heavy-lidded. The smile that had been there before returned. She hadn't been scared away.

He put his arm around her shoulder and she leaned against him. "May I ask you a question, Darcy?" Loki needed to ask about the magic he had felt.

"Uh-huh."

He didn't quite know how to phrase it. "You're ah … stomach. At the bar, I felt … "

She stiffened slightly in understanding, then answered. "It's my tattoo."

"Tattoo?"

She nodded her head against him. "Yeah. But can I tell you about it later? I can't really take anymore heavy things for the evening and we gotta go back in there soon."

"Of course."

Darcy straightened and stood up, facing him. She lifted her shirt slightly to reveal a tattoo below her navel, inked in shimmery green, blue, and purple. It was a fleur-de-lis surrounded by vines, or …

"Ivy." He looked up at her and she nodded.

He reached up to touch it, fingers tracing the sweeping lines. Loki's light caresses on her skin sent waves of warmth throughout her body, though it wasn't magic, it was something much more carnal. Earthy. Lust.

Her delectable hourglass-shaped body was standing right in front of him with the skin of her belly slightly bared … it was simply too much. Loki drew her in, pressing his hands on the small of her back. He touched his lips gingerly to the tattoo, closing his eyes, breathing in the sweet scent and warmth of her skin. The energy that was emanating earlier from the area on her lower-stomach was at the moment, lying dormant. But in the background, he could sense a very faint magical stamp, a metaphysical fingerprint. Someone who didn't know magic would never pick up on it. There was a powerful spell woven into this ink.

Darcy threaded her fingers through Loki's hair, newly shorn and soft, smelling of expensive deliciously-scented product. She couldn't remember the last time someone's touch had woken up every nerve in her body in this way. Her eyes rolled back in her head as she shut them. _Holy fuck_, she wanted him.

"Loki?" She asked through deep breaths.

"Hmmmm?" The vibrations of his voice against the skin of her lower-abdomen almost made her knees buckle.

She sighed. "As much fun as this is, we can't exactly do it on a bench by the street. Some smoker is gonna come out here eventually."

"Hmmmm." This time his tone expressed dramatic disappointment.

Loki put his hands on Darcy's hips and drew himself up to a standing position, though he was going to need a second to squash his arousal. He thought about the cold shower he should probably take before going back inside.

"Alright." He said, strain in his voice.

She laughed softly, taking pity on him … and laced her fingers through his. Eventually, she urged him back inside the establishment where their friends were currently partying. Darcy and Jane still needed to do their Kanye & Jay-Z song.

They shook themselves out and walked back in through the doors, holding hands.

"You still have not explained this Kanye person to me." Loki looked down and saw Darcy shrug.

"The man has an ego the size of Stark Tower, but I can't help but love his music."

* * *

**AN:2 I've put up the link to the video for "Shoop" on my profile. It's the inspiration Jane and Darcy would have no doubt used for their karaoke number. If you haven't seen it, or heard the song, you MUST watch it. It's genius. They just don't make rap songs like they used to ;-)**

**So yeah, there was a bit of mush in this chapter, but y'all knew it was coming. I hope the shmaltz police don't come to get me. **

**Thanks for your continued support and reviews, you guys! It keeps this procrastinator goin'. **


	16. Chapter 16

**AN: Taking a break from the mystery and mayhem for a minute ... this is a bit of a breather. But worry not, it shall return soon enough. **

**I want to thank you for all the reviews and kind words. It's all been so unexpected, seriously. **

**And finally, so sorry this chapter took longer than usual, but I didn't want to torture you with an ambiguous cliff-hanger ... so you get double the pleasure this time. You're welcome ;-)**

* * *

During the cab ride home from the karaoke bar, the energy was a bit … heated. Loki and Darcy had shared a cab with Thor and Jane since they were all going to the same place, and everyone was thinking about what would happen next. It was classic soap opera-tension … would they? Or won't they …

Even more heated was the journey to their floor … walking through the lobby, riding up the elevator and heading down the hallway, each step closer to their destination. Darcy and Loki lingered by their doors as Thor and Jane paused at their apartment before going inside, wanting to see if the the new pair would be disappearing into the same room together.

Darcy wasn't about to give them the satisfaction. She leaned against her door and was willing to stay there all night until the two voyeurs left them alone.

Loki took out his keys. "You left your earrings on the table, would you like them back?"

_Very smooth_, she thought, and took a deep breath. "Sure." She heard a door click shut … their neighbors had finally stopped spying and called it a night.

Loki unlocked his door and she was about to follow him inside … which pretty much guaranteed that nothing was going to happen between them. Darcy wasn't about to get down and dirty with him if J.A.R.V.I.S., and by extension Tony Stark, was monitoring everything that went on.

But then her phone went off … to "Cold Hard Bitch".

"Shit. It's my mom," Darcy said. "I have to take this … I'll be over in a minute."

Loki nodded and went inside while she opened the door to her place … and then answered the phone.

"Hello?" She said in a small voice. "It's kinda late isn't it?"

"Hi sweetie, you know me … I never sleep. I just wanted to firm up plans with you for tomorrow."

_Oh, shit_. Darcy had forgotten that her mom was coming into town. "Oh, yeah! I'll make dinner reservations for us tomorrow morning."

"Great, great … could we make it an early dinner? 3 pm? My conference will be over by then and I'll have to catch a plane soon after."

"Um, sure."

"Listen, I have some good news. I've firmed up a position here in Atlanta for you, it's a great opportunity for someone with your, uh, degree."

"Mom, I already have a job that I like."

"Now, Darcy, you know that you can't be an assistant forever, and living in that dangerous city I'm sure sounds adventurous and romantic while you're young, but you'll want to think about getting serious soon and settling down."

"I'm not an assistant anymore and I really like New York."

"But honey, it's so dangerous. At any minute you could get mugged … or worse. Terrible things happen there."

"Terrible things happen in Atlanta too."

"It's much safer here, and you'll be near your family. And you won't have to live in a tiny apartment."

"I don't live in a tiny apartment." It was one of their classic mother/daughter conversations … she didn't listen to anything Darcy said.

"But you can live in a house, sweetie. You can make a house payment instead of paying someone else rent."

"But …"

"You can't do this forever, you realize, you have to start thinking of your future."

Darcy had listened enough. "Mom! I have a job! I'm not an assistant! I don't want to move to Atlanta! I really don't want to talk about this right now, I have other things that I want to be doing right now … _literally_." It was more like _who_ she'd rather be doing right now, but details!

"Honey, this design thing might not work out, you know how competitive that industry is … do you really think that you can stay on the cutting edge of trends for the next several decades? One of these days, and sooner than you think, you will not be so young and up-to-date and then what? You need a real job."

"I have a real job. And yes, I can stay on the cutting edge, or whatever. And I like living in New York, it's as safe as anywhere."

"Don't tell me you think that silly taser your father got you is going to get you out of a jam. You realize that a would-be assailant can just take it right from you and use it against you, right?" Her mom didn't realize that she'd tased the God of fucking Thunder with that silly weapon.

Darcy had resorted to pacing around her living room. "Mom. I'm not moving to Atlanta. I like my job. I can defend myself. End of story."

"You at least owe it to yourself to come to the interview, I pulled a lot of strings for you. It's really a great opportunity for someone with your ... background."

_My background_? Only her mother would think that a graduate degree in poli-sci was about as prestigious as waiting tables or dancing on a pole.

Darcy began to lose her temper. "I never asked you to do this! I have no idea why you think I'm such a loser by living in New York and being a designer!"

"Honey, I realize you want to do this starving artist thing but it's not sustainable. Don't you want to have a career? Have a family? Be happy?"

"I AM HAPPY! And I don't want some man and a family right now."

"I really hope that you're not trying to tell me that you're some kind of lesbian, I know that it's all very acceptable to be one these days, but I really don't think you could handle it."

"WHAT? What makes you think I'm a lesbian?"

"Well, there's your flat-out refusal to get Lasik … those baggy clothes … and seriously, girls just don't go on vacation together to Europe, Darcy."

"Mom, me and Jane went to Norway for work!"

"Sure honey, now, I really want you to come back to Atlanta with me, I'll book you a ticket."

"NO! I have a perfectly respectable job that I'm happy at right here in New York City. I have friends here."

"Darcy, you can make plenty of friends here, the people are very nice and they don't dress like they're homeless like the people in New York do."

"Who dresses like they're homeless?"

"You know, those people in Brooklyn that wear ridiculous clothes from garage sales."

"My life isn't an episode of _Girls_, Mom. I don't live in Brooklyn. I live in Manhattan."

"This isn't up for discussion. You will come back with me, go on your interview and do something with your life for once."

"I am not 12! I make my own decisions! I AM DOING SOMETHING WITH MY LIFE!"

"And then we can go shopping, get you some nice clothes, get that hair of yours taken care of …"

Darcy was now at a total loss. "What's wrong with my hair?"

"It's much too long honey, I saw those pictures on Facebook. It's not the 70's and you're not Gloria Steinem. Those strange highlights in your hair just look ridiculous."

"It's called ombre and I like it. I can't win, can I? My hair is either too long or too short or too weird. My clothes are too baggy … my glasses are too lesbian!"

"I'm only trying to help, you don't need to get so defensive."

Darcy stood there and took several deep breaths.

"Mom, what can I do to convince you that I'm happy here in New York and that my job actually _is_ a career."

"We can talk about it tomorrow, Darcy. I've got to go. Remember, 3 o'clock. And don't take me to one of those macrobiotic or molecular gastronomy places either, or whatever they're calling overpriced food these days. Please be ready to come back to Atlanta with me."

"Mom, I have to work!"

Click.

Darcy stared at the phone, something she did pretty much every time after talking to her mom. It didn't matter. It really didn't matter what she did. She could be the first female president of the United fucking States of America and it would still just be a shitty job in her mother's eyes. Nothing was better than being a damn scientist. Nothing was good enough. She could never be taken seriously. There was nothing about her that her mother approved of … not even her hair. Nothing. Her mother only cared when she thought she could point her in the direction of science. Fuck. That.

Darcy went to her freezer, took out her special bottle of Patron (for emergencies only) and took a swig. She was still pretty tipsy from a night at the karaoke bar, but the conversation with her mother had been a serious buzzkill. She really needed to stop taking her calls altogether … or she'd be driven to alcoholism. If she moved to Atlanta, Darcy would probably have to check into a rehab facility in a matter of months … no, weeks. There was no way in hell.

Darcy was no longer in the mood to hang out with anyone, but she had told Loki that she would be over to get her earrings, so she trudged over and knocked on his apartment door.

He opened it, looking hopeful. He had taken his suit-jacket off. "How was your conversation?"

"I don't really want to talk about it." She walked into the living room, looking as if she now carried a 100-pound weight on her shoulders.

Loki noted a stark change in her demeanor. When they got back from the bar, she had seemed elated, excited … but now she seemed distant … far away.

She walked over to the table to pick up her earrings … and she had every intention of going right back home, but Loki spoke up.

"Uh, Darcy. May I have a word?"

She really didn't feel up for a conversation, but she nodded anyway and sat down, hoping it wouldn't take too long.

Loki started pacing. He looked nervous … which made Darcy nervous. "As you can probably guess … my feelings for you ... have … "

This wasn't the time or place for such a conversation, she felt like the last person in the world that someone should have feelings for. "Please. Stop there," she said quietly.

Loki stopped pacing, struck by her coldness. It was unlike her. "You don't even know what I was going to say."

With a voice devoid of emotion, she said, "I think I can guess … and quite honestly, I'm not ready to hear it right now." She stood up. "I should go."

Loki was confused. "Would you not even listen?"

"I'm just … this isn't a good time."

"When would be a good time?"

"I don't know … just not right now."

"Are you … rejecting me?"

"No. Of course not, I'm just … not feeling very well right now."

"I do not understand. What's happened? Why are you so … distant? Cold?"

Darcy snapped. She was not cold. She was nothing like her mother. "I'm done here. I have my earrings. Thank you for taking such good care of them. I will see you later." She started walking towards the door.

Loki had never seen her act this way. Even when she was angry with him, she was still filled with life, with passion … this person was devoid of it. He was confused and hurt … this unfortunately lead to anger.

"I do not understand. I am a prince! And yet … you reject me so easily. You. You're … "

Darcy guessed where he was going and got right in his face. "I'm what? A peasant? A Midgardian? Nothing special? An ant for your boot to squash? I'll let you in on something … being a prince means about jack _shit_ around here. And I'm not rejecting you … I just don't want to talk about this right now!"

He didn't back down, but got right back in her face. "I've never stood such … such _insolence_ before from someone like you," he said through his teeth.

_The fuck did he just say?_

"Someone like me?" She said quietly with anger. "And what is that exactly … mortal? I really don't understand Loki." Her voice got louder. "I thought that hanging out with us lowly Earthlings was the Asgardian version of slumming it. I thought we were on the wrong side of the Yggdrasil tracks. Isn't that what you've been trying to convince Thor? That Jane isn't worthy? Or what are you suggesting here … that it's okay to bang us, but not seriously date us?"

Loki didn't want to talk about his brother. "Thor and Jane have nothing to do with this. She is not good for him. She … "

Darcy cut him off. "And how the hell would you know? You don't know her. You know _nothing_ about Jane. You have no idea how much she cares about your brother … what she did for two years to try to find him. She didn't sleep, eat … _bathe_, all she did was try to figure out a way to get back to him."

Loki turned away … resumed his pacing. This was not how he saw the evening going. At all.

"Pathetic," he spat. "To be so worked up about my brother and devise such an idiotic plan … You're right. Thank The Nine. I _don't_ know her. But what I do know is that she should not have been meddling with forces that she couldn't _possibly_ begin to understand, chasing after some fantasy."

Darcy saw the hypocrisy in that statement. "Loki. You realize that you could be talking about yourself, right?"

He stopped pacing, eyes growing dark. He took two steps and he was right in front of her face. "I grow tired of your lectures, _Midgardian_."

She stepped back, a little stunned, but she sensed no menace. There was no intent to harm, not physically anyway … but she was tired of people implying that she was less than … beneath them … not good enough. "Why do I get the feeling that when you call me _Midgardian_ in that way, what you really mean is _cunt_."

The word surprised Loki as he didn't quite know what it meant. How had things come to this? He was at total loss.

Darcy walked over to the door, earrings in hand. "I'm outta here." He went to follow, to try to calm her down, but she slammed the door in his face.

Loki stood there, confused, wondering what in the hell had just happened.

* * *

XXXXXXXXXXX

"Brother!"

As soon as Loki opened his door, Thor knew something was wrong. "What happened?"

"Nothing happened," Loki said, letting his brother in. That was the problem … nothing had happened. He woke up alone.

"But it seemed as though things were going so well." Thor was confused.

"I really haven't a clue. Darcy was fine when we got back, but then received a phone-call from her mother … then everything changed."

"That's certainly odd," The God of Thunder said. "Hmmmm … Jane has mentioned that Darcy starts to become afraid when, and I quote, 'things start to get real.' Perhaps she just needs some time?"

Loki shrugged. "Perhaps. She tried to warn me that it wasn't a good time to talk … and yet I persisted, like a fool." He walked over and plopped down on the couch, very un-god-like.

"Something must have happened."

"Even if that's true … I said some things that I should not have." He looked up at his brother, remembering something. "Tell me, brother … do you know what the word, uh … '_cunt_'... means?

Thor blushed slightly. He'd heard the word used on television, but wasn't completely sure, though he had an inkling. "Err, I believe it is a rather, ah … taboo way of saying '_quim_'."

Loki's brow furrowed in surprise. The girl had a rather colorful vocabulary … and a bit of a filthy mind, it seemed. It only made him want her more.

Thor cleared his throat. "I'll talk to Jane and see what happened."

Loki shook his head … "Please. Don't. You need not play the matchmaker … you were never good at it." He cringed inside at the failed attempts his brother made to match him with a lady … who would have rather been with Thor anyway. Though Loki didn't think Darcy had any inclination whatsoever towards his older brother and never did … a fact that made him wonder what he could do to change the direness of this situation. If she could be his ... she truly would be, _his_.

Thor wouldn't leave it alone. "Then I will talk to Darcy myself."

"No!" Loki shouted, "Thor … go, and be happy with your mortal. Please, leave me alone now. I must go upstairs soon and work."

"What did you say?" The God of Thunder asked softly … did his little brother just say to go and be happy? With a mortal? What in The Nine had happened to him? Who was this person and what did they do with his brother …

Loki sighed. "I wasn't under the impression that you had gone deaf … so I'm quite sure that you heard what I said. Don't make me repeat it. Now, go. I have work to do for these mortals if I have any chance at getting my magic back."

"But … "

"Thor. I promise you, I'm not going to do anything stupid, like try to compel the people in this building to do my bidding … or compile another army to take over the Earth. Please. Go." Loki wanted to be left alone so he could think.

Thor, stunned, complied … but he wasn't about to leave it at that. Loki was acting very strange … he was being … nice? Even in the face of rejection … had he just given Thor and Jane his blessing? What had brought this on?

So many questions … as Thor left his brother's apartment and walked down the hall, the first thing he did was call Jane to see what could be done.

It almost seemed as if his brother had returned to him, in a way … and it scared him. The fragility of it. Thor didn't want to lose Loki again.

* * *

XXXXXXXXXXX

Darcy sat in her office the next morning, agitated. The usual air of melancholy that emerged after a conversation with her mother surrounded her.

She knew that she had been unfair to Loki, but wasn't sure what to do about it. There hadn't been anything she said last night that was untrue.

But Loki had unfortunately been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Her mother just knew the precise way of pushing her buttons to a point where it was really not wise for her to be around people afterward.

Jane knocked on her doorframe. "Can I come in?"

Darcy leaned back in her chair. "Sure," she said quietly.

"So what happened last night?" Jane asked as she walked into the room, concern on her face.

Darcy could tell by the tone of her voice that this wasn't an inquiry about the sex that was had the previous night … so apparently she knew about the fight that had gone down.

Darcy sighed. "My mom called just before I went to Loki's place."

"Ohhhhh." Jane sat down. "That makes sense."

"Yep."

"You didn't tell him that it wasn't a good time to hang out?"

"I tried to … but he wanted to 'talk.' And we all know what _that_ means. He could have just given me my earrings back at any point during the day, but no. He needed an excuse to get me into his apartment."

"Darcy. I thought you liked him … you were holding hands at the bar … I've never seen you look so comfortable with someone touching you like that in a public place. You looked like you were actually having fun with him. What changed in an hour?"

Darcy shook her head, remembering the phone call. "My mom making me feel like a loser even though I'm an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., and apparently my hair is too long. My clothes too grubby. And the city is too dangerous for me. And I should move to Atlanta and settle down already. Buy a house. Snag a man. Pop out babies … be normal so that I don't embarrass her anymore."

"A man and babies? Now? Eww. Gross." Jane understood wanting to focus on her career, on cultivating a life of one's own before thinking about starting a family.

"Right? I don't understand why she thinks that having babies would be a good idea for me … it certainly didn't make her happy."

Jane wanted to know what happened with her boyfriend's brother. "So what did Loki say to you that set you off?"

"I told him that I didn't want to talk about whatever it was he wanted to talk about … _right that minute_. But then he got all offended and basically said I should be grateful for the attention because he's a prince and I'm a lowly mortal."

"So your mom made you feel worthless and then he went and did the same thing."

"Yeah … I was probably being overly emotional about the whole thing."

"Your first reaction is usually the right one, Darcy."

Darcy started to get suspicious. "Jane. Why aren't you jumping up and down about this? Don't you hate him?"

Jane shrugged. "I don't know. He was actually kind of fun at the bar last night … after he got over that mood he was in." She leaned over. "And Thor went to see him this morning … I guess Loki told him to 'go and be happy with your mortal' … those were his exact words apparently."

"Whoa. Really?"

"I know, right? What's come over him? Believe me, I still don't trust him as far as I can throw him … but even _I_ can see that he's changing. Maybe I'm naïve, but I don't think it's an act or some big game. I just think he genuinely hit rock bottom and experienced some kind of turning point. I mean, he's still Loki … but I wouldn't run away from him screaming like I would have two years ago. And there's that whole saving my life thing ... though I'm not sure that means he's good for you. Like, _at all_."

Darcy shrugged. "No one is good for me, Jane."

"That's nonsense and you know it. Don't let your mom convince you that you're anything but awesome … and your hair is beautiful, by the way."

Darcy smiled weakly. "You know what?"

"What … "

"He kissed me last night."

Jane gave a sharp intake of breath. "No! Where!?"

"On the mouth."

Jane arched an eyebrow.

"Fine. We were on the bench outside."

"Aaaaand?" Jane found herself being strangely curious. What was it like to make out with the God of Mischief?

"It was eee-lectric, though as far as kisses go, it was pretty PG. Not even a PG 13."

"So you like him?" They were talking like 15-year-olds.

Darcy nodded slightly. "I might as well stop fighting it. Though I'm pretty sure that after last night, he realizes I'm not worth the trouble. I'm a peasant. _Nothing special_."

Jane shook her head. "Don't start that up again. _Loki_ would be the lucky one."

"Yeah, but he sure does like to remind me that he's a prince and I'm a nobody."

Jane shook her head. "That's because it's what he identifies with, being a prince. After he learned about the whole Frost Giant thing, he lost it. His identity was shattered. If he wasn't a prince, then who was he? Nothing. A Frost Giant. Someone that was never accepted by other Asgardians. Being a prince was all he had. It's probably _still_ all he has."

"Did Thor tell you all this?"

"Sort of. He's talked about Loki before … and I've filled in some blanks on my own. It doesn't seem like that family is exactly open about their feelings … but that's where all that "peasant" and "nothing special" bullshit came from … he's ultimately talking about himself."

"Like Kanye is this seriously self-absorbed ego-maniac genius songwriter … but at the end of the day it's probably just a mask to cover up all his insecurities."

"Exactly."

"Again, Jane … I thought you didn't like him. It sounds to me like you're trying to plead his case."

"I just … I just want everyone to be happy." Darcy gave her a look. "And I think it might be kind of cool for us to date brothers."

Darcy was skeptical. "This is quite the 180 you're pulling on the whole Loki thing. Did Thor put you up to this?"

"No! Of course not … well, maybe a little bit. But it's how I feel too, I swear."

"Hmph."

"You know, you've never admitted to me that you really liked someone. And I don't mean crushes that you have no intention of doing anything about, like with Clint … but a genuine, serious interest. I think that's very telling."

"That's not true … what about Ian?"

"You never talked about him like that."

"Whatever. I've liked plenty of guys."

"No. More like plenty of guys liked _you_ and you friend-zoned them before things got real."

"Ughhhh, not this again."

"Alright, fine. I'll drop it … but I want to talk to you about something."

"Okay. Wassup."

"Do you remember back during that first meeting with Loki and you brought him a cup of coffee?"

"Yeah. I was only trying to be nice and he was a huge dick, how could I forget?"

"Well, I remember Thor yammering on about an 'offering of cups', but I never thought to ask what he meant by it. But this morning when I brought him a cup of coffee, he explained it to me."

"I vaguely remember you mentioning it." Darcy said. They had been eating tapas with Steve.

"I guess it's kind of like back in the day during knights and kings, when men would go off to war … or compete in a joust or something, they would take a token of love … to represent affection and to bring good luck, or whatever."

"Uh-huh. What does this have to do with coffee?"

"I'm getting there! So, it's kind of like that on Asgard. In the great hall, on the eve of some important battle, or some big congregation, or sword competition, things like that … a woman can offer a guy a cup, or a drink, as a sign of support. It means that they'll be thought of or prayed for during battle, or that someone is rooting for them. Thor says it's actually one of the only ways that girls can be forward with guys without being seen as … you know, slutty."

"That's ridiculous. You can only flirt with a guy through drinks? That sounds so … Victorian. Like, over 100 years ago. Asgardians are weird."

"Right? Anyway … when you gave Loki that coffee, what it looked like to the Asgardians was an 'offering of cups'. You were saying that you were rooting for him, supporting him."

"I did no such thing … I had no idea what that was."

"I know … and he knows that too … but here's the thing, no one ever really gave him an offering. I can speak from experience, Asgardians have a certain … ummm, aesthetic. They're all big, blonde and blue-eyed and they stick to their roles in society. Loki was different. He's dark and he's not shaped like a linebacker … and he practiced magic, which apparently is known to be a feminine skill on Asgard. Women, for the most part, practice magic. Men fight. Women cast spells."

"Dude. That sucks. That's awful! Talk about antiquated gender roles … remind me never to go there. And how could he not have women fawning all over him? Magic being seen as girly or no … I mean, the guy is drop dead gorgeous. Are the Asgardians _blind_?

Jane shrugged. "I guess what's attractive for one group of people is different for another group. Loki wasn't a part of the Asgardian group."

"_Shit_. No wonder the guy is so fucked up. So he never got an offering?"

"Thor said that he got a few … but it was usually just a ploy to nab royalty … or a way to get to Thor. After awhile, it was known that Loki would refuse them altogether."

"Dude."

"So to Loki, bringing _only_ him a drink in front of a room full of people, looked like an offering of cups. You were being genuine. I think that's when he started his little infatuation with you."

"He's not infatuated."

"God_damn_ it, Darcy, come off of it. You know full well that he likes you."

Darcy rolled her eyes. "But I didn't mean anything by it, I was just trying to be nice."

"That's the thing, Darcy … no one is ever 'just trying to be nice' to him."

"Alright. Fine. But I can't think about him right now. I have to mentally prepare myself for being around my mother … got any drugs?"

"Advil?"

"Nope. Valium? She wants me to move to Atlanta and start a 'real' career."

Jane did a double-take. "What? Things don't get much more real than working for S.H.I.E.L.D."

"I know. _She_ doesn't know that. She wants to be able to brag to her scientist friends about her brilliant scientist daughter … but that is never going to happen."

"You're brilliant in other ways."

"Thanks, but who am I kidding. I got this job because I knew too much. They were practically forced into hiring me."

"That's not true … you've proven yourself to be an asset to the agency. You're an awesome designer, and great with computers … shit, you can hack into anywhere. You hacked into _S.H.I.E.L.D.'s_ computers in Norway during the Battle of New York!"

Darcy shrugged.

Jane noticed the usual depression that her friend retreated into when dealing with her mother. It always squashed Darcy's light out. "Please don't do this to yourself. The last time you saw your mom, it took you two weeks to get back to your normal happy Darcy-self. Don't let her do this to you, tear you down. Make you feel worthless. _She's_ the asshole."

Darcy only nodded. "I'm gonna go downstairs and punch something until it's time to meet with Medusa."

"I'm here if you need me."

* * *

XXXXXXXXXXXX

In the afternoon, Loki was asked to head to HQ and pack up the contents of his desk along with a few other things to move to Stark Tower.

He hoped to run into Darcy, but instead bumped into Jane as he walked past her lab … just about the last person he wanted to see, mortal person anyway.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" Jane asked him … probably the first time she had initiated an actual conversation with him … or rather, one that didn't end with her smacking him across the face.

Loki looked at her suspiciously. "Has Thor been talking to you? … or has Darcy."

She gave him a sly smile. "I'm doing this of my own free will. No one has coerced me into anything." Jane held out her hand to direct him into the lab and he reluctantly followed. She sat at her desk which was covered in papers and charts. She motioned for him to take a seat across from her, but he shook his head, preferring to stand next to a vacant desk by the door.

Jane looked at him, sizing him up … trying to see what Thor and Darcy saw in him. "The thought of you and Darcy together doesn't exactly give me the warm fuzzies." She crossed her arms. "I was hoping she'd get back with Ian … or that maybe Steve would work out."

Loki made to walk right back out, but then she kept talking.

"_But_. Ian never made her eyes light up … and Steve would have driven her all kinds of crazy with his … wholesomeness." Jane wondered if she should proceed with this conversation but decided to take a chance. "I've seen the way she lights up when you're in the room … even if she refuses to admit it to herself."

Loki peered at her, confused. "Why are you telling me this? Whatever potential there was … she would not listen to me. I foolishly took Thor's advice about stating my intentions … and it seemed as if it the _last_ thing she wanted to hear." He wanted to leave, he was not comfortable talking to this woman.

"No. Thor was right." Jane was still wary of Loki … was he just going to break her heart? Or would it be the other way around … was she betraying a confidence? She just wanted her friend to be happy. She desperately wanted Thor to be happy … her intervention was worth a shot. "I'm going to let you in on a secret. I'm going to tell you exactly where you went wrong."

Loki raised an eyebrow. He never thought he'd be sharing secrets with Jane Foster of all people.

"For the past few years, working with Darcy … we knew that if she got a call from her mom, we steered clear for awhile to let her breathe. At least a day. If for some reason they met up face to face—and that didn't happen often—but when it did, we made sure to leave her alone for at least a week."

Loki frowned. "Why would she answer the phone if this is her reaction?"

Jane shook her head. "Darcy is supposed to meet her for dinner tonight … and it's her _mom_ … I think she's always holding out hope that one of these days, her mom is going to be the approving and loving mother that she's always wanted."

Loki nodded. That he understood, quite sadly.

"She has a way of making Darcy feel inadequate. Not good enough. She tries to turn her into something she's not. It's actually how Darcy came to be my assistant. Her mom, _Dr_. Brenda Dumaine, is actually a renowned scientist, believe it or not ... got her PhD at Culver, was a professor there for awhile … but now she's a bigwig at the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta. When it was time for Darcy to do an internship for college credit, her mom pulled a lot of strings to make sure it was in something that she approved of. For some strange reason, Darcy's was the only application I got for that semester. I'm pretty sure that her mother had something to do with that."

Jane remembered taking one of Dr. Dumaine's classes and shuddered. Worst semester ever. "Her mom is a very … severe woman. She's known in scientific circles for being an unfeeling ball buster, but she's actually quite brilliant and has made several breakthroughs and discoveries in her field … but essentially, she cares more about viruses and epidemics than she does about what's actually going on inside Darcy."

Loki leaned up against the desk he was standing next to. "She tried to tell me that it wasn't a good time to talk." Then he remembered what he'd told her, what he'd implied … that she should be grateful … that he was a prince and she was … less than. Like her mother had just done.

He pinched the bridge of his nose. "This is a disaster."

Jane went on. "I want to let you in on something else … because Darcy probably wouldn't."

He looked up at her and nodded.

"You have to stop insinuating that she's like, some kind of peasant, or just a mortal, or Midgardian, or whatever … because that's exactly how her parents treated her … like she's silly … and that's exactly why she mostly has nothing to do with them. You're lucky she even talked to you after your shining performance the first time you met ... when you basically told her that she was nothing special."

Loki closed his eyes. This whole time … all she had done was try to be his friend, try to make him feel more at home in this realm … and what had he done for her?

"And as far as things go here on Earth, and in America … Darcy is no peasant," Jane continued. "Her mom is a famous scientist … and her dad is like, Mr. Lawyer God for the People. Levi Lewis. Champion of the Downtrodden. If there's some kind of human rights violation going down, they call him. Let's just say she didn't grow up poor. She went to the best private schools … was supposed to go to Tulane, but ended up at Culver because of the hurricane."

Loki shook his head. "Darcy doesn't act as if she's wealthy, or part of some kind of American aristocracy as you imply … far from it, actually."

Jane arched a finely groomed brow. "She wouldn't. She won't accept a dime of their money. Not even for college. Not since she turned 18."

There wasn't anything Loki could say, he looked down.

"Darcy is my best friend … I might get frustrated sometimes and talk about how I have to put up with her, but in all actuality, _she_ puts up with _me_. I'm not easy to be around sometimes, I know this … when I have ideas or theories I have to chase, Darcy supports me through everything, when other people would just call me crazy. She understands. We're family."

"You don't deserve her," Jane said, leaning forward, looking Loki in the eye. "But I've never seen her open up to anyone … and believe me, I've seen several guys try to get her to let her guard down, but it's never happened. No one has inspired her to take a chance … not until you came along. I see that."

"If by some miracle, you can make her happy. If you can make her feel how she deserves to feel … then I say go for it. But if you hurt her … if she opens up to you and you break her heart … I will murder you in your sleep. Do you understand?"

For the first time, Loki saw the strength in this woman that Thor had claimed was inside of her.

"I believe you would, Jane Foster."

* * *

XXXXXXXXX

Darcy had settled on a trendy gastropub for dinner and texted her mother the exact address hours ago … and yet there she was, sitting alone at a table for two in one of New York's hippest and best-reviewed restaurants in the city.

After an hour had passed, Darcy got a text … "Meeting went late and I had to catch a plane, we'll talk about the new job soon."

Darcy closed her eyes and started shaking with anger. Anger at herself, anger at her mom for having this much of an effect on her. She fought back tears. All this over nothing. Much ado. Her mom didn't even show the fuck up. She didn't even give enough of a shit to call her … she texted her some bullshit line. _Like hell_ she'd be going on some job interview in Atlanta.

She quickly paid for the appetizer and two glasses of wine that she ordered, put her sunglasses on, and rushed out the door. Thank God it was Friday and she could just go home and not have to face anyone … but then she remembered her laptop. She'd left it on her desk and she needed it to do some work over the weekend.

_Fuck my life_, she thought.

By the time a cab had dropped her off at HQ, and she'd made it to her office to retrieve her laptop, her eyes were bloodshot from crying, though with her sunglasses to shield her, everything was thankfully hidden.

As she rounded the corner from her office, trying to race back to the elevator with her computer clutched to her chest, she practically ran into Loki … pretty much the last person she wanted to see.

He saw the dark glasses she was wearing and remembered something she had told him upon their second meeting … that there were two reasons why a lady might wear sunglasses indoors; either she was hungover … or crying.

As he stood in front of her, he impulsively reached over and pulled the glasses from her face … he saw that her eyes were red, her lashes saturated with tears.

"What has happened?"

She snatched her shades from him and put them back on. "Don't."

All he wanted to do was pull her to him … kiss the tears from her face like he'd done before, but he hesitated, not knowing what to do. She turned and walked away quickly … practically leaping into the elevator.

Out of the corner of his eye, Loki noticed a guard wandering into Darcy's office. He began to walk over to see what the man was doing, but the guard then walked right back out the door she had left open. He must have delivered something.

Loki peered in to see what was left … more flowers?

On the desk was a small cylinder, a can of some sort. He walked further inside. The label said "pepper spray", which looked to be some kind of deterrent. There was a note attached … it said …

_"Sorry to miss dinner, but It couldn't be helped. Had a flight to catch. If you insist on staying in this city for the time-being, at least carry this with you."_

It was a very cold message. Not an ounce of motherly love or care. Loki could never imagine Frigga leaving such a note for him, even at his worst. Even after everything he'd done, she had exuded warmth, compassion … the exact opposite of the tone of the lines that Darcy's mother had left for her.

He closed his eyes. How he wished that Darcy could have met his mother. _Frigga_.

Loki crumpled up the note … if only he had his magic, he'd have burned it, made it disappear into thin air in a flash. He wanted to shield Darcy from it, make sure that she never saw it. Never felt this way again.

He began to pace … what could he do? What could he do for her?

He smiled as he decided to put his title of "God of Mischief" to good use, even though he lacked his usual magic that aided his intentions. He walked down the hall to see a person he was sure viewed morality in much the same way he did … in shades of gray rather than black and white.

Hawkeye was sitting in his office with the door wide open, frowning over Friday afternoon paper-work. Perfect. He would be itching to do something interesting, something …_ fun_.

"Clint Barton."

The archer looked up but said nothing, just glared.

Loki continued. "Darcy is your friend, is she not?"

"Yes?"

Loki grinned. "Good then. I need your help. I'm looking for someone who's willing to bend a few rules. That would be you."

Barton laughed. "Are you crazy? Wait … look who I'm talking to … that would be a _no_. What would ever make you think I'd help you?"

"But it is for Darcy. Not for me."

Hawkeye was mildly amused, how in the world did this guy think he'd help him? "Umm … how about … _noooo_. Not helping you."

Loki sighed. "You're still angry about the mind-compulsion."

Clint didn't say it, but his face conveyed a bit fat "_duh_".

Loki tapped his foot and looked at the clock on his phone. He was running out of time. "Very well. What if I told you that I was compelled in much the same way you were. The difference being that you were controlled by the scepter itself … and that I was being controlled by a darker force … a force that coveted the tesseract."

Clint squinted in confusion, this got his attention. "Someone was controlling you?"

Loki was impatient. "Look, I'd love to enlighten you, but we don't have all the time in the world … how about if I tell you everything you want to know on the way?"

Clint slowly stood up.

"_Splendid_. Let's be on our way then, shall we?"

* * *

XXXXXXXXXX

Darcy had gone straight to sleep as soon as she had gotten home at around 4:30. At about 6 pm, she woke up to her phone going off … to the ringtone of "Get Outta My Dreams, Get into My Car" by Billy Ocean.

Hawkeye was calling her. _Whaaaaaaaaa_?

She groggily answered the phone. "Is everything okay?"

"Everything is fine, but we need you to come down to HQ on an urgent matter."

_Holy shit_, what could it be … _HYDRA_? Did someone recognize Loki, and she was too busy feeling sorry for herself to keep an eye on him? _Fuckity fuck_!

"You're sure everything is cool?"

"Affirmative. Everything is great. We just need your input on something."

"Okaaaay? I guess I'll be right over …" She hung up the phone and went to get ready … she washed her face and pulled on her figure-hugging jeans, concho belt, and cute peasant top … she wasn't in the mood for spy-chic at the moment.

Darcy wasn't exactly crushing on Clint anymore these days, but she also wasn't about to go over there without make-up on, so she applied some eye-liner in a rather impressive swoop across her lid, and some pink lipstick.

In twenty minutes she was walking up to Hawkeye's office, wondering what in the hell was going on. He was sitting on his desk waiting for her.

As soon as Clint saw her, he grinned.

_Okay, this is weird._

"Um. What's going on?" Darcy was seriously confused.

"Follow me." He said, jumping off his desk, motioning her to follow him … and much like weeks before, Darcy followed Clint Barton into an elevator, not knowing what was waiting for her at their final destination.

The elevator took them to the floor that housed S.H.I.E.L.D.'s high-level interrogation rooms and Darcy was led to a viewing area with several leather chairs.

"Have a seat," Clint said. He pointed to the big window where usually, a suspect would be sitting, waiting to be interrogated. "In a second, the cover on the window is going to open, and you're going to be surprised. But don't worry, everything is okay."

Clint took out his phone, entered a code, and the cover began to open.

_So, there's an app for that_, Darcy thought.

As the cover fully receded, she saw that inside, sitting at a desk … was her _mother_.

Darcy's mom was looking around the room nervously, fiddling with her sensible black suit, smoothing out the pencil skirt … a gesture that Darcy noticed was familiar, because it's what _she_ did when she was nervous.

Darcy blinked a few times, her brain not registering what her eyes were telling her. "What is my mom doing in there, Clint?"

He held up a hand. "I told you, everything is okay. We picked her up at JFK right before her flight was supposed to take off … citing that she was a security risk."

"Why would you do that?! How is she a security risk?"

Barton laughed … "It wasn't hard. A level 9 S.H.I.E.L.D. agent can pretty much do what they want at an airport. But technically speaking, she opened herself to scrutiny by sending one of our agents a weapon."

Darcy was shocked. "What?!"

"Relax … she had her secretary send you over some pepper spray this afternoon. After it was checked out, it wasn't deemed a threat … but it still put her on a watch-list, no matter how innocent the gift was supposed to be."

Darcy rolled her eyes. Her mother sent her pepper spray. Of course she did.

Clint gave a sly smile. "Usually we wouldn't care, but we figured that we maybe should make an example out of her."

"What are you going to do with her?"

"Oh … just have a little fun, then send her on her way." He walked out of the viewing room and disappeared down the hall.

Darcy stood up and walked to the window … she could see inside, but her mother couldn't see her. Her mom's make-up was perfect, her hair … dark brown, shoulder-length, was perfect, not a hair out of place, obviously professionally blown-out. She'd always been a beautiful woman, even at nearly 60, she was still striking … but there was only coldness behind all that beauty.

Clint walked into the room … followed by Loki, holding a tablet … both in official black agent spy-ware and sunglasses. They both looked … _fucking gorgeous_.

Darcy shook her head … _what were they doing_?

Hawkeye spoke first, looking at Loki's tablet, his voice stern. "It says here that your name is Dr. Brenda … Dumaine?"

Darcy's mom looked up at him, angry. "Yes!" she hissed. "And what am I here for exactly? No one will tell me. I can't _possibly_ imagine why I would be detained at the airport. I'm needed at the CDC, I have very important matters to attend to. I would like to speak to whoever is in charge of this … this place … what is this place? ..."

Clint held up a hand. "Please stop talking."

Loki walked over and took the chair across from her, leaned over and said … "who do you work for, Ms. Dumaine?"

"I told you. The CDC. Centers. For. Disease. Control." Her mother said the name slowly, as if Loki were daft.

He chuckled. "I appreciate the annunciation as I couldn't have _possibly_ understood what the CDC was, being a government worker myself, with a much higher security clearance than you, I might add … but I wasn't talking about your little experiments with the common cold. I was asking who you _really_ work for? Are you selling secrets? Chemical warfare? Germ warfare? Again … who are you working for?"

It looked like Darcy's mother was finally starting to get a little spooked. She shook her head. "I don't work for anyone except the CDC."

Clint moved from the corner he was standing in with his arms crossed and walked over to the table, leaning over the freaked out doctor. "Then please explain … why you would send this weapon to a government agent?" He then slammed the canister of pepper spray onto the table in front of her.

Brenda stared at the object, recognizing it. She looked up at Clint. "I sent that to my daughter! That's not a weapon, like you suggest. I mean, it's for her protection!"

Loki inclined his head. "Your … daughter, you say?" He looked up at Clint … "You've known her a lot longer than I, has Darcy ever mentioned having a mother?"

Clint looked over to him, feigning confusion. He shook his head slowly. "No … she's never mentioned a thing. Funny, I always assumed that her parents were dead." He shrugged. "What does it say in Miss Lewis's file under next of kin?"

Loki took to his tablet and brought up some records. "Hmmm. She makes no mention of a Brenda Dumaine. What is her father's name?"

"Levi Lewis," her mother said.

"No. She doesn't name him either. Are you sure you're her mother?"

Darcy couldn't help but laugh from behind the glass.

Brenda was taken aback. "Of course I am her mother! Why would I make up something like that?" She then looked over at Loki's tablet, angry. "Who is on that thing, anyway? Is it Ramona Jupiter? That woman is nothing but a witch!"

Loki looked down … Darcy's record did in fact say Ramona and Julia Jupiter. "I'm sorry, Ms. Dumaine, but that information is classified."

"Classified? My daughter is just some assistant … err, a designer, how can her information be classified?"

Clint cocked his head. "Just some designer? And you claim to be her mother? Ms. Dumaine, Darcy Lewis is a brilliant designer, yes … but she is also a high-level government agent. Do you know how many laws you broke sending her a weapon? How many government lists you just put yourself on?"

Darcy's mom looked shocked. "A … a government agent?" She said in a small voice. "I only sent it to her so she could be safe in this … this dangerous city."

"Ms. Durmane." Loki said. "You are a scientist, are you not?"

Brenda nodded. "I am," she said with a wavering voice.

"Do you not realize that sending Miss Lewis this … pepper spray." Loki and Hawkeye looked at each other and shook their head. "That it would be like sending you a child's first microscope in the mail? Darcy is trained in hand-to-hand combat, has access to the world's most advanced weapons. What on earth would she do with this trinket that you can buy at the local supermarket?"

Brenda opened her mouth to say something and then closed it. She then shook her head to convey that she didn't know.

Loki continued. "It says here that you were in town briefly today for a conference, is this correct?" Darcy's mom nodded. "Did you see your daughter while you were here?"

"Ah. No."

"So you claim to be her mother, but made no attempt to see her?"

"Um. I had to catch a plane right away … after the conference."

"You couldn't possibly make time out of your busy schedule to see your own daughter while you were in the city she lives in?" Loki gave one of his classic devilish laughs. "And you wonder why she doesn't have you on her information as next of kin."

Brenda could only blink. She had nothing to say.

Loki and Clint looked at each other and shook their heads dramatically.

"Agent Barton, could you please ask Agent Lewis if this is indeed her mother, and if it is, could you send her in here to vouch for this woman?"

Clint left the room and a few seconds later came to stand next to Darcy in front of the viewing window.

He smiled over at her. "Do you want to come talk to her?"

All Darcy could do was shrug. "What's going to happen to her?"

He laughed. "Nothing. She'll be put on a private jet back to Atlanta. She'll even beat her original flight there. Our jets are a lot faster."

Still in shock, she impulsively gave Clint a hug. There were tears in her eyes, but she refused to let them spill over … she had cried enough for the day. She didn't realize that people cared about her this much. "I don't know what to say … except … thank you," she said into his shoulder. Hawkeye was a bit closer to her height, so it made hugs with him a little easier.

He hugged her back. "You're welcome, but it was all _his_ idea. I was just along for the ride. I must admit … it was pretty fun." He laughed. "Sorry your mom is such a world-class bitch."

Darcy laughed and stepped back from the hug. "She really is."

Clint reached a hand to her cheek to catch a tear. "Family can be a strange thing, the hold they have over you. But you're nothing like her, kid." It was a fear of hers … that she had squashed so many emotions deep down that one day she'd end up as unfeeling and cold as her mother.

"Thanks." Darcy said, and turned to walk out of the viewing area and into the hall to the interrogation room.

She opened the door and walked in. Loki stood up, facing her so that her mother couldn't see his face. He smiled his classic God of Mischief-cat that got the cream-smirk of his. It made her a bit weak in the knees, if she was being honest.

"Darcy!" Her mother shouted. "Tell him who I am, please! So they'll let me go."

Darcy turned her head to look at her mom. "Shhhh." Then looked back at Loki. She reached over to grab his hand and squeezed. "I'll take it from here," she said.

Loki nodded and left the room.

Darcy Lewis, agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., sat down at the table across from her mother. She sighed. "You probably shouldn't send me anything else, Mom."

Brenda peered at her daughter and whispered heatedly, "you're a government agent?! You're going to get yourself killed!"

Darcy rolled her eyes. "It's nice to see you too, Mom. Yes, I am an agent … and no, I can't go into details."

Her mother stared at her a few seconds … and just when Darcy thought her mother might actually say something like how she was proud, or impressed, or surprised … she said, "I can't believe you have that … that _woman_ listed as your next of kin! How would we find out if anything ever happened to you?"

Darcy bent over and lightly knocked her forehead against the desk a few times. Her mom was impossible. Was never going to change. Would never approve. Even if she became a famous scientist just like her … she'd never approve, if anything she'd just be even more of a pain in the ass.

Darcy sat up. She knew that Loki and Clint were probably watching in the next room.

"I want you to listen to me for a minute without talking." She looked her mom in the eye. "I'm not going on any job interview in Atlanta."

Her mom opened her mouth to say something, but Darcy took a page from Clint and raised her hand. Cocked her head. "Don't speak."

Brenda, knowing now that her daughter was a high-level government agent, shut her mouth. As Darcy witnessed this, she felt a strange and warm rush of self-confidence come over her.

"I'm happy in New York. I'm happy here at my job. My friends are here. People who care about me, are here. Now, go home. They're going to fly you back to Atlanta."

"Sweetie."

"Go!"

Brenda stood to leave and Clint opened the door to show her out. Before she left, she said, "I'm sorry that I couldn't meet you for dinner."

Darcy looked back at her and nodded, but didn't say anything.

When her mom was gone, she rested her arms on the desk and put her head down … _what the hell just happened_?

Darcy heard the door open and someone walked in … she expected it to be Loki, but it was Jane.

She got up and walked over to the control pad by the door … pushed the button that closed the cover on the window, turned off the sound. Darcy turned to face her friend. "He Darcy'd me, Jane."

Jane scrunched up her face in confusion. "What do you mean, he Darcy'd you? You're Darcy."

"No … he _Darcy'd_ me."

"He friend-zoned you?"

"No! _Mr_. Darcy. He _Mr_. Darcy'd me."

Jane still looked confused. "What? How did he … ohhhhhhh." Realization dawned on her. "He did! He totally Mr. Darcy'd you!"

"I even have a Jane! You're _Jane_, Jane! And Thor is Mr. Bingley!"

"Wow. Thor totally _is_ Mr. Bingley."

The girls were both familiar with the tale of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet. _Pride and Prejudice_ being one of their favorite books of all time … as well as movie. They often had deep philosophical discussions about which movie did what better … the Colin Firth version, or the Kiera Knightly version, and the many re-tellings and spin-offs in-between.

"Let's go through this, shall we? Exhibit A … he insulted me the first time we met."

Jane nodded. "Then he got to know you … and you were fun, opinionated. Challenged him. Not like the other ladies in his world."

"And he tried to convince his best friend, err brother, that dating the Jane in his life wasn't going to work out for him so well."

Jane laughed. "He totally did! Then he tried to profess his undying love for you, only to be met with rejection."

Darcy smiled, mystified. "And finally … he told Bingley, I mean, Thor … that Jane was okay after all … and then made some grand heroic gesture to show that he's like, all dashing and gentlemanly and stuff."

Darcy stood there, stunned. "Jane. He kidnapped my mom."

Jane nodded. "He sure did."

Darcy started to laugh. "And it's the most romantic thing anyone has ever done for me! It's the most romantic thing I've ever _heard_ of."

Jane shook her head. "Wow, Darcy. Finally, a romantic gesture that doesn't make you want to puke." She smiled. "He totally Darcy'd you."

"He totally Darcy'd me." She looked around. "Wait … why are you here? It's kinda late."

Jane grinned. "We're taking you out, you deserve it. Ladies and 80's. Dancing. It's Friday … let's go get some drinks."

Darcy gave Jane a hug. "Thanks … where's Loki?"

"He's in the viewing room with Thor."

Darcy turned and darted out the door … down the hall and to the room where Thor and Loki were sitting. She looked at Thor.

She pointed her thumb to the doorway. "Out."

Thor laughed but obeyed.

Loki began to speak, worried that she might be angry, but Darcy held up a hand and shook her head. She silently walked over to him and sat in his lap, catching him a little off-guard. She raised her hands to the sides of his face, looked him in the eyes, and kissed him.

He sighed as his arms came around her in a tight embrace, kissing her back ... and this time they melted into each other, opening, feeling, pressing … tongues and hands finally exploring. Loki's fingers were under her top, running them along her spine. His touch was making her dizzy. They couldn't exactly bang in the interrogation area at S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ ... well, at least not for their first time. Perhaps later.

She broke the kiss to speak. Almost touching his lips with hers, she breathily said, "they want to take us out."

"I know."

"Let's not get into a fight afterward this time … let's, do something else."

He nodded without hesitation. "Okay."

* * *

XXXXXX

**This was a really fun chapter to write ... I hope you all enjoyed. I also just wanted to say that Darcy's hacking abilities are actually cannon ... there's a Thor comic that takes place in the MCU that explains Jane and Darcy's trip to Norway during the Battle of New York. I'm glad I read it ... it really shined a light on a few things for me. I recommend it if you haven't read it. **

**Anyway, please review if you have a spare minute. Or if you noticed any glaring typos that I missed, drop me a line. I love the feedback ... it makes me a better writer. Thanks so much!**


	17. Chapter 17

**AN: Alright. So I know this chapter has taken a bit longer than the others, but I think I have a pretty decent excuse ... I've been in Mexico City for work. But today and tonight, I've been sticking to my hotel, finally succumbing to food poisoning. So that means I can edit while watching episodes of _The Big Bang Theory_ with Spanish subtitles. As soon as I get back home, I'll be able to pump these chapters out regularly again until I finish. **

**Again, thanks for all of your kind words and thoughts about the story. This chapter should be a bit of fun. **

* * *

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Going out to a hipster club and dancing to 80's music wasn't _exactly_ the first thing Darcy wanted to do with her Friday evening … but it would suffice, for now. She was, after all, having fun with Jane as they grooved to some "Take on Me" by A-Ha even though Thor and Loki would only watch from the bar, refusing to participate, citing that they weren't much for dancing … but it was only the _type_ of dancing they were uncomfortable with. The way that Midgardians tended to gyrate to rather strange music was a little intimidating to the princes who were used to more refined dances at court. Waltzes. Reels. The girls didn't mind, however, because it did their hearts good to see the brothers hanging out with each other … and the brothers very much liked to watch them dance.

Darcy was adamant at first not to drink much, since she didn't want her senses dulled for later in the evening, but Jane wasn't having it. For once, the scientist was the one encouraging the drunkenness as she kept suggesting they do shots whenever they went to the bar to take a break from dancing.

By the time the foursome headed back to Stark Tower, everyone was well lubricated, with Jane being the drunkest of the bunch, celebrating the fact that two of her favorite people seemed to be happy, for the moment. For the first time in two years, since meeting Thor (more like running into Thor, literally), she felt like things were good. After all the heartbreak, all the not knowing … they were finally together. Perhaps even somewhat content.

When the two newly formed couples departed the elevator to head to their rooms, Jane insisted that everyone hang out in her apartment for a few more drinks, as she wanted Thor and Loki to spend more time together … and to show them that a couple of Midgardian girls knew how to have a good time.

Darcy and Loki were hesitant, but Thor urged them on, as he wanted to please his girlfriend, but also to further seal the fragile bond with his brother.

As she guided everyone to her kitchen, Jane announced, "we're going to play a classic Midgardian game, you guys. 'Truth or Dare'."

Darcy immediately hated the idea. "Hell no." She reached into the fridge to grab a few beers for everyone. "I don't think we need any drinking games … we're all grown-ups here."

"Come on … it'll be fun!"

Thor, wanting to support Jane's endeavor, spoke up. "I'd love to partake in a Midgardian drinking ritual. Please Darcy, indulge us."

She shook her head and looked at Loki, who seemed curiously amused. "I don't think you know what you're getting yourself into. Trust me."

"We just need to establish some rules," Jane directed. "For one, no stripping."

"Stripping? What kind of game is this?" Loki asked, quickly going from amused to alarmed.

"It's dangerous." Darcy said. "Dude. I'm sorry that you didn't get this out of your system in high school … or even college, like normal kids are supposed to … I'm sorry that you decided to study away the best years of your youth … but I ain't doin' it. Truth or Dare is for amateurs."

"Come on, Darcy … I DARE you!" She laughed, completely inebriated. It only made Darcy laugh too.

"Darcy, please. Tell us the rules," Thor pleaded.

How could she say no to these two incredibly adorable drunk people? She sighed. "Okay. The rules are simple … you ask someone 'truth or dare' and they choose. If you chose 'truth', you have to answer a question. If you choose 'dare' … you have to do what is dared." Everyone sat at Jane's kitchen table in compliance.

"For this evening's stipulations," Darcy went on … "we're adding no stripping … and no sexual favors. Also, if someone chooses 'truth', let's not get too heavy, alright?"

Jane and Thor both nodded, but Loki still looked confused. "Sexual favors?" He asked. "Does this game usually not have these stipulations?" Midgard was getting more interesting by the day.

Darcy ignored him. "Alright, Miss Jane. This was your idea … you go first."

"Okay … Darcy … truth or dare."

Darcy sighed melodramatically. "Dare." She found "dare" to be a lot easier than truth most of the time.

Jane's mouth formed into a grin that would rival any of Loki's evil smiles. "I dare you to shotgun a beer."

Her friend looked unamused. "Dude. Really?"

"How does one 'shotgun' a beer?" Thor asked.

"It's something done at frat parties … something Jane apparently never went to in order to understand how stupid it is." Darcy was getting tired of the throwbacks to being eighteen years old, especially since they were in the presence of guys who had been around for several hundred years. A notion that sounded kind of kinky … but she didn't want to think too hard about that one.

"Whatever, Darcy … I've seen you do it before."

"I was bored." There wasn't much to do in Tromso when S.H.I.E.L.D. had tricked them into flying there for a "project", and all they ended up doing was sitting around. The first day or so they were angry, then when they found out the Battle of New York was going on, they were scared … then they got bored, which led to a lot of drinking and listening to Jay Z and Kanye West.

"That reminds me," Darcy said. "I'm putting on some Jay Z."

"No stalling, shotgun your beer, biznatch!"

Darcy rolled her eyes and fished her keys out of her purse. "You could at least make it a challenge." She stood up, punched a hole in the bottom of the can, covered it with her thumb and expertly brought it to her lips. She then popped open the top and gulped the beer down in about 5 seconds.

She smashed the can in her hand as she felt the familiar rush of taking in so much at once, and gingerly wiped a few drops from her mouth. "Boom!" Darcy yelled, as she tossed the can into the kitchen sink. She looked at Thor and Loki … and laughed at their expressions. They both looked shocked.

"Where did you learn how to do that?" Thor asked, curious as he instantly wanted to try it.

"It's called college. And I'm also from New Orleans … we take drinking seriously down there, you have to perfect your technique early, or be ran out of town."

"Alright. My turn." Darcy turned to her drunk friend. "Miss Jane … truth or dare."

"Dare."

"Shotgun your damn beer!" Darcy yelled, pointing at her.

Jane was game … and so was Thor. After Darcy showed him what to do, they both attempted … and failed … beer gushing down their mouths and throats, soaking their shirts … and Jane taking a very long time to get all of hers down.

Both Darcy and Loki laughed. "Don't laugh so hard brother … you may be next!" Thor said, wiping off his front with a kitchen towel.

"Then I shall resist choosing 'dare'," Loki responded.

"I don't know if you want to do that … you'd have to tell the truth!" Darcy said, giggling.

Jane then ended up choosing Loki for her turn, who went with 'dare', since 'truth' did seem rather dangerous. He was then proven wrong as Jane dared him to give Thor a hug.

"Haha! Jane, nevermind, I was wrong! … I love this game!" Darcy laughed as Thor stood with his arms wide open and a big grin on his face, waiting for Loki to give him a hug. Loki stared daggers into his brother's girlfriend as he slowly stood up as well and gave Thor what was more of an awkward pat than an embrace … but his older brother then wrapped his arms around him to form a great big bear hug.

The girls fell over with drunken laughter.

Loki didn't exactly look happy, but considering how much they all had to drink that night, he took it pretty well. Had he been totally sober, no hugs would have been given.

"It's your turn, Loki." Jane managed to say between giggles.

"Darcy." Loki said, rather evilly.

_Oh, God,_ she thought. "Loki, why don't you pick Thor … he hasn't gone yet."

"Momentarily. For now, it's you. Don't try to talk your way out of it."

"Fine. I'm going with 'truth' on this one. Not choosing 'dare' when playing this game with 'The God of Mischief'."

"Very well." Loki said, figuring what she would choose. "Tell us what your tattoo means." He sat back, pleased with himself.

"Hn," Darcy huffed. She knew how to tell the truth without telling the _whole_ truth.

"You have a tattoo, Darcy?" Thor was fascinated by them, the vikings always displaying intricate work on their bodies.

"Oooh, yeah, it's really pretty. Show us." Jane said.

Darcy stood up and lifted her shirt just a little and tugged down on her jeans to reveal her ink.

"Alright." She touched her index finger to her lower stomach. "It's a tattoo that me and two friends got after Hurricane Katrina … the fleur-de-lis represents New Orleans. It's known as a French symbol and New Orleans began as a French colony. You find them everywhere down there. It's even the logo for our football team."

"That's quite lovely, Darcy." Thor said, peering her mid-section. "How does it shimmer the way that it does … I've never seen anything like it."

"It's just a special kind of ink." She locked eyes with Loki, who raised an eyebrow.

"Is that all it represents … your city?" Loki asked, inclining his head.

Darcy raised a brow right back at him. "I answered one question … normally you'd have to wait until it was your turn again, but I shall take pity on you. The three colors here represent each one of us … blue for me, purple for Jules, and green for Scott."

"Blue is Darcy's favorite color," Jane jumped in, very matter of fact.

Thor choked a little on the beer he was sipping and Loki slapped him on the back, hard. "Alright brother?" He asked loudly.

His brother chuckled through his coughs. "Oh, yes. Quite well."

"Okay, my turn." Darcy said. "Thor, truth or dare …"

The God of Thunder was elated that it was finally his turn to choose. "Dare!"

"I dare you to hug Loki."

This went on for several turns as whenever Jane and Darcy picked Thor or Loki, they'd dare them to hug each other. Thor, now infatuated with shotgunning beers, would dare everyone he picked to gulp down a can … until he picked Loki, who then chose 'truth', not wanting to get his face and shirt all wet like the happy couple had.

Thor, who was all smiles for the whole of the evening, suddenly became serious and thoughtful. "Brother," he said, his eyes becoming slightly watery. Someone had shotgunned too many beers. "What happened to you on Svartalfheim? I thought you dead, and obviously you were not." He crossed his arms. "Was it all a ruse?"

Darcy intervened. "Whoa, Debbie Downer! No heavy topics, remember?"

Loki closed his eyes, almost impressed by his brother's trickery. "It's fine, Darcy." He hadn't talked about this yet to anyone, not that he was ever given the chance to explain to Odin while still on Asgard. He looked at his older brother. "There was no ruse. I lost consciousness as you were leaning over me, speaking to me. That's the last thing I clearly remember. The rest was like a colorful dream. I encountered an intense sense of … peace. There's no other way of describing the sensation. It was something that I desperately wanted to hold onto, but couldn't." Loki then realized that everyone was staring at him, enchanted. Had he not been drinking that night, he never would have revealed such things to everyone. Perhaps Darcy, maybe Thor, in time … but never Jane. Not now.

He cleared his throat and shrugged. "I woke up sometime later. Just in time to … hitch a ride."

Everyone was silent for several long and awkward seconds until Darcy decided to speak up. "Dude. Loki. It's your turn. And Thor … I'm not sure how to penalize you, for breaking the rules, but I'll think of something."

The God of Thunder, who actually looked satisfied with Loki's answer, sat back in his chair and laughed, his mood lifted. "Of course, Darcy. So sorry to be a … how did you put it? A … downer?"

"Hmpf."

"Jane," Loki said, wanting to move on. "I pick you."

"Truth," she said softly. Jane was three sheets to the wind, but she remembered that day. She remembered how Thor held his younger brother in his arms as he lay dying. She remembered Thor's sorrow, but also the peace that he'd made with himself when he thought that Loki had redeemed himself in death. It had broken him all over again to find that Loki could have faked the whole thing.

Jane had been happy that Loki was alive though, even if it _was_ all a ruse. He was still alive. Thor had suffered so much loss because she had wandered into The Dark World. To be the catalyst for the loss of both his mother and brother, of his committing treason … she didn't know how he could look at her. "I choose truth," she said again, shaking off her drunken thoughts.

Loki sighed. "No one will pick 'dare' when I ask."

"That's because no one at this table is stupid." Darcy said.

"That's debatable. But alright … tell me, Jane. What on _Earth_ do you see in Thor?" He still had no idea why she would labor non-stop for two years to be reunited with his oaf of a brother.

Jane looked over to Thor, eyes glazed over from drinking. "He's just so … so perfect." Thor beamed.

Loki was sorry that he asked.

"Bllllaaaahhhggghhhh." Darcy made puking noises. The God of Mischief looked over to his hopefully soon-to-be lover and smiled slightly. She was everything he liked in a woman … beautiful, intelligent … and irreverent. They could have a lot of fun together, she and him.

"Alright Darcy." Jane said, annoyed by her friend's flippancy. "Truth or dare!"

"Dare."

Jane went with something she knew Darcy would hate. "I dare you to twerk."

"Oh, HALE no." Darcy pointed a finger at her friend. "No sexual favors and no stripping."

"Well good." Jane said, crossing her arms. "Because twerking is neither a sexual favor nor is it stripping."

"That's um … no way, dude." She shook her head towards the two alien brothers. "The Asgardians can't handle it."

"What's … twerking?" Thor was asking many questions that night, it seemed. He was happy to be learning so much about Midgardian culture.

Darcy looked at him. "It's something you don't need to worry about."

Thor laughed. "Come on Darcy, you're treating us like children, when we've been alive for centuries. Loki and I have seen much in our years. If you think either of us as innocent, you're gravely mistaken." Many things suddenly flashed through his head that he'd gladly never ever let Jane know he'd participated in. He was quite unchecked in his appetites in his youth, and Loki hadn't been much better.

Darcy smiled. These two fools were sure they had seen it all. "Have you ever been to New Orleans?"

The brothers looked at each other and shook their head.

"Then I'm sorry, but you're too innocent. Y'all can't handle it."

Jane laughed. "Ooo, Darcy, you said 'y'all' … you're drunk!"

She looked at her friend. "Well … how many beers have you made me shotgun?"

"You've had plenty to drink then, your ass should be good and ready. You're amazing at it. Now twerk!" Jane was tired of Darcy's stalling.

Loki became slightly anxious. "What is this?"

Darcy popped open another Miller Lite. This was actually going to happen. She was going to twerk in front of gods. She wanted to kill Jane. "It's a dance move. Big in the New Orleans bounce scene, a type of music."

Thor looked hurt. "You think we cannot handle a dance move?"

"Nope."

"Darcy!" Jane was done with her resistance. "You _have_ to! _You_ chose dare, I dared you to twerk … now twerk!"

"Ughhhhh. _Fine_. So this is happening." She was just thankful that she wasn't wearing a skirt.

Darcy went to Jane's iHome on the counter and swiped the music on her phone from Jay Z to Big Freedia. If she was going to do this, it had to be done to proper bounce music.

She stepped into the living area for some more room, which was right next to the kitchen. At the beginning of the song, before the rapid beat started to get going, she bounced up and down, shaking her hips a little in a circular motion to get into the groove. Twerking was something that was best eased into.

Thor and Loki believed this was the whole dance move and laughed … they could handle a little bouncing up and down, a little hip movement. But then as the high-tempo beat started blaring, Darcy began the actual twerking, which was basically using your hips and knees to make your ass rapidly bounce up and down. The people who were really good at it could twerk just about anywhere, even twerk upside down, and in some very strange positions … but Darcy went the more traditional route, starting while standing up with her legs spread apart. As the song went on she bent over, sort of like you would in downward dog, showing the Asgardians exactly what twerking was.

After a while, Darcy straightened up. "Get over here Jane! You know how."

Jane laughed. "I can't do it like you can!"

"That's cause you need a little badonkadonk to do it properly, but you'll do just fine. Get over here!"

Jane got up and ran over to dance with Darcy … they both bent over and proceeded with their task, bouncing to the music … ass to the audience, so to speak.

After a few minutes, things started getting dizzy from the combination of bending down and alcohol. The girls got up, out of breath, turning to the two aliens they had just enlightened.

Thor blinked, expressionless … and Loki was smirking, the thoughts in his head completely visible on his face. "So, do y'all twerk on Asgard?" Darcy asked, catching her voice.

"Ah. No." Loki said, slowly shaking his head. "Not even during the most debaucherous of spring festivals have I ever seen anything like … that."

"You … dance like that? In front of … people?" Thor finally spoke.

"Well, yeah. During bounce nights." Darcy hoped he wouldn't get weird about it. "Everybody does it at bounce nights. Don't be shocked, Thor." She laughed. "I thought you said you've seen everything."

Jane ran over and sat in Thor's lap to try and take his mind off of being appalled. It worked, as he was more than happy for her to be there … especially after witnessing those … dance moves.

Darcy saw the eyes that the pair was making at each other and took it as her cue to bail. "Come on, Loki. It's hammer time! Time for us to bounce."

He immediately stood. Whatever she meant by "time for us to bounce", he was up for it.

As she walked out the door with Loki, Jane pointed at her and mouthed "do it!" Thor saw the silent communication and laughed. Darcy quickly shut the door behind her before the guy they were alluding to could see it.

But when they were alone in the hallway, Darcy suddenly found herself very nervous. Loki walked slowly towards his apartment door and turned around, his eyes full of hope. "Do you want to come in?"

Darcy shook her head and his face fell for a second. "Not in there … you're monitored, remember?" she immediately said. "My place." Loki smiled softly and nodded. This was actually about to happen. It would take all of his control not to bend her over the couch as soon as they walked into the living room, and put her in the position she was just exhibiting so enticingly … but he was determined to take his time. To savor.

With slightly shaking hands, she found her keys and opened her door. When Darcy turned the lights on, Loki saw where she lived for the first time. He looked around, taking it all in. There was a large bookshelf taking up most of one wall in her living room, mostly filled with books, the bottom portion filled with DVDs and Blu-Rays. On the mock fireplace mantel sat a few framed photographs, and several more books, these looking old and cherished. On the coffee and end tables sat more piles of books. Books. A woman after his own heart.

On the walls, hung photographs and prints of people he did not recognize, must be more of her favorite artists. Over the mantel was a big print of a cathedral surrounded by mist. Her living space seemed very comfortable and inviting … not messy, but lived in. There were various books and papers everywhere, but it was as if everything had its place, like she knew where it all was if she wanted to find something.

Loki walked over to the mantel and looked at the picture-frames. One held a group photo of Jane, Erik Selvig, Darcy and Ian. The fact that she had displayed her former paramour's picture stung slightly, but he told himself it was only because they were part of a group.

Another photograph, a much older one from the looks of it, yellowed and slightly faded, was of a beautiful young woman with intricate dark curls, wearing a delicately crafted dress. She had a slight smirk on her face, like she knew secrets. Darcy came up behind him. "That's my grandmother's bridal portrait. Wasn't she gorgeous?"

"She was. I see a family resemblance." He said. Darcy blushed.

He then looked to the last picture, of four children at around 9 or 10 years of age, wearing next to nothing, all in the midst of laughing. A small boy with wispy brown hair, a girl with white-blonde curls, a girl wearing long dark braids, and what appeared to be young Darcy, light-brown waves tumbling over her bare shoulders, tanned by the sun, wearing heart-shaped sunglasses.

"Darcy. What are you wearing in this photograph?"

"We're in our bathing suits. We were hanging out at Scott's parent's house for that one. He had the best pool growing up."

"You've known each other a long time, then."

Darcy laughed softly. "Since we were little, we stuck together. We were the misfits."

Loki turned to look at her. "What do you mean?"

"Eh. The kids we went to school with could be pretty stuck-up, none of us really fit in with that crowd. The society people. We sort of marched to the beat of our own drums." She walked up and looked at the photo. It had been awhile since she really concentrated on it.

"Even though Scott's family was super rich—they own hotels—he got bullied a lot … he always had more in common with us girls. As for Ivy, it was known that she got into our school based on her IQ, not because her family could afford it … she had a scholarship, so she was known as one of the poor kids. Jules' family was quite well-off, they own several restaurants, but they were known to be voodoo practitioners." Darcy turned and smiled at Loki. "Very scandalous. As for me … I don't know." She shrugged. "I'm just weird, I guess. I always had a tendency to speak first and think later. I wasn't afraid to tell people exactly what I thought of them. When you're surrounded by people who only care about fake manners and manufactured charm, it got me into trouble quite a bit."

This girl. He could fall for this mortal girl. The fates were laughing at him … after all the many times he chided Thor for becoming enamored with a Midgardian.

"You are lucky that you had fellow misfits." The fact that he'd been alone in strangeness on Asgard went unsaid.

"I know I am."

They both looked back at the mantel for a few seconds, not knowing what to do next. "Do you want a beer?" Darcy finally asked, feeling silly.

Loki shook his head and then closed the gap between them with one long step.

"You have a lot of explaining to do," he said, looking her in the eyes … the vibrations of his deep and smooth voice going straight to her core.

"I know." She said breathily.

He put a hand on her cheek and she closed her eyes, head tilting into his fingers, relishing in the feeling of contact with him.

"But, you can enlighten me … later." He slowly touched his lips to hers and she wrapped her arms around his waist as they opened up to each other, their kissing growing heated.

His hands moved down to the small of her back, pressing her against him, Darcy moaning from the feel of it, the evidence of his arousal. The promise of the intimate contact they both so desperately wanted. She broke the kiss momentarily, took him by the hand, and led him to the couch. She put her hands on his chest and pressed, signaling for him to sit down and then climbed on top, straddling him, rocking against his lower-half.

This proved to be a snapping point, because Loki then attacked her mouth, his tongue insistent, his hands finally moving to a place that wasn't PG. As they cupped her breasts, and felt their suppleness with his palms, he groaned … so soft, so … ample. He moved his fingers down to the hem of her top and lightly pulled up. She happily lifted her arms to help him and he slipped it off. Darcy was luckily wearing one of her favorite black lacy bras, and as his eyes swept across her, they were filled with raw lust.

Darcy reached down and found the bottom of his shirt and tugged upward. He had changed out of his spy-wear he had donned earlier in the evening for his recent favorite casual attire of V-neck and jeans, and she loved how he looked in them … but his shirt needed to be gone as well. Loki helped her and lifted the garment away in one quick movement, throwing it on the floor next to her discarded top. She took a second to admire the pale smoothness and lean muscles of his chest and stomach, but the sensation of his skin on hers made focusing difficult. She wrapped her arms around his neck and they both grinded their hips into each other, slowly mimicking the act of coupling.

In the back of her mind, and through the fogginess of desire, Darcy realized that her phone was going off to the ringtone of the "Theme from Shaft". She momentarily forgot who's number that was, but vaguely recalled that it was someone important.

Loki anticipated her reaction to the phone ringing and said, "don't even think about it." His hands were gripping her thighs and he pulled them towards him, lessening the space between their bodies, so that she felt exactly how much he wanted her. "I will not allow you to answer anymore phone calls until I've taken you." He gave her neck a small nip. "Properly." He moved to kiss the soft skin behind her ear. "Thoroughly." He then kissed her bottom lip, lightly biting it. "Until I hear my name screamed from your lips."

Hearing these words spoken with his silken voice was like having another hand caressing her skin. She knew that he was nicknamed "silvertongue" for reasons having to do with deception and the weaving of tales, but it also had to do with that fucking voice of his.

"Mmmmmm, yessir," she murmured, her heart fluttering in her chest. Drunkenness or distractedness always brought out her usually repressed southern manners. Without being conscious of it, saying "yes ma'am" and "yessir" was second nature, even in situations when it would be viewed as rather bazaar.

Loki seemed to enjoy it though, because he suddenly stood up with Darcy still straddling him, his strength giving her a bit of a surprise. She wrapped her legs around his waist and he carried her into the bedroom, as if she weighed nothing. It was quite the turn-on. He rightly guessed which room it was, as it was the exact same floor-plan as his apartment, only mirrored.

He laid her down on the bed and climbed over her, leaving light kisses on her skin … moving from her neck to the tops of her breasts, to her stomach … each touch inducing goosebumps or little jumps and moans. Each sound she made rendered it more and more difficult for him to take his time. He needed respite. He needed release. When he made it to her rather elaborate belt-buckle, he had trouble figuring out how to unclasp it … which was rather off-putting. It had been centuries since he'd been unsure of how to remove an article of lady's clothing.

She sensed his hesitation at her belt and reached down to help, as the concho belt even gave her trouble sometimes. As she undid the clasp, Loki moved to his own belt, undoing the buckle. This had always been a bit of a fetish for Darcy, watching a guy take off his belt. A wave of lust hit her hard and she sat up and attacked him, pulling him back above her, wanting to feel his full weight on top of her, wanting to feel friction and rhythm.

This caused a bit of a frenzy. They were no longer interested in light touches and slow exploration, their kissing growing fierce and desperate. Their arousal became insistent, needing expression, needing consummation.

As Loki's hands plunged beneath her back, and she arched to give him access in order to unhook her bra, a most uninvited occurrence happened.

"Pardon me, Miss Lewis, but my security protocols are being overridden." J.A.R.V.I.S. said, though Darcy had no fucking clue where the sound was coming from.

Both of them froze and slowly sat up, totally dazed. Totally confused.

"J.A.R.V.I.S.?" Darcy squeaked, automatically covering her chest with her arms. "I thought this apartment was unmonitored!" As the fog receded in her lust-tinged mind, anger started coming through. "What. The. Fuck!"

"I assure you, it is not monitored," the A.I. butler said. "I'm only reaching you via a building intercom system. I cannot see anything and can only hear you due to the security override."

She still covered herself. "That's not making me feel better!"

"So sorry, Miss Lewis, but Director Fury would like you to either answer your phone or to call him back. It's a most pressing matter. You would not be bothered unless it was due to dire circumstances. I won't be allowed to leave until you speak with him."

"_Motherfucker_!" Darcy yelled.

Loki, who had also gone from dazed to angry, had gotten up to pace furiously, steam almost visible from around his ears.

It was the first time that Darcy had seen him this mad and it was a little scary. The look on his face reminded her of the pictures in his file from the Battle of New York. She walked over to him and put her hands on his bare chest, ceasing the pacing. She then reached up and cupped his face. "Shhhhhh," she said, looking into his eyes, trying to calm him down. "It'll be okay," she whispered.

Loki looked back at her and nodded but he was still breathing heavily, his hands balled into fists.

"I'm not going to call him back or answer the phone until you give me the go-ahead … okay? J.A.R.V.I.S. or no."

This seemed to finally steady him, cooled by her consideration. He closed his eyes and smirked, though he didn't feel very smirkish. "You had better call him back. I told you that something has to happen first before I allow you to answer your phone."

Darcy smiled. "Yessir."

He opened his eyes. "You better watch that. Or I won't allow you to _make_ calls either."

_Hmmm, so submissiveness is a bit of a fetish for him … noted_, she thought.

She ran into the living room to retrieve her phone as she yelled behind her, "yessir"!

Darcy picked it up. Thirteen missed calls. _Damn_. She called Fury back.

He answered on the first ring. "Agent Lewis."

It was the first time he'd ever called her that, it had always been "Miss" Lewis up until this point. He was trying to butter her up. Shit must be bad.

"Sir." She said.

"You're in Stark Tower then, obviously."

"Yessir."

"We have a potential situation and I don't want to take any chances with our rehabilitating Asgardian. After being debriefed by Agent Barton about a few of the facts surrounding his little skirmish with the Chitauri, it leads me to believe that I can trust him only slightly more than I thought I could. Which isn't much. But it does make me think he won't be a flight risk if he's with you." He paused. "I hope it won't come to this, but if it does, I don't want him falling into enemy hands. It could be catastrophic. The risks we take keeping him in New York now outweigh the risk of allowing him to travel out of town with one of our agents."

"Sir?" This was sounding scary.

"I know that this is unorthodox, but it's a part of your mission. I want you to leave town with him, tonight. Somewhere that S.H.I.E.L.D. does not have a hub or an official presence. Do you understand, Agent Lewis?"

"Of course, sir." She thought of her mission and how it probably wasn't supposed to involve fucking him, but she didn't care at this point. "Where to?"

"Somewhere safe, somewhere you know where to hide if you need to."

She thought about Jules' and Miss Ramona's request to see them. Perfect. "Permission to take him to New Orleans, sir. We'll be safe there, I assure you."

"Permission granted, Agent Lewis. Agent Barton will be taking you there tonight, he's already been instructed and is in the building. A helicopter will be taking you to the airport soon. Tell no one where you're going. Only Barton."

"Sir. What about Thor?"

"If shit hits the fan, we'll need Thor in New York. Barton will fill you in on anything else you need to know. I have to go. Good luck, Agent Lewis." How could she leave without telling Thor and Jane?

Her lower-stomach began to hum. Fury had every reason to believe that things might get bad. "Be careful Director Fury. Trust no one," something made her say.

"I never do. It's why I'm still alive." He hung up and Darcy stared at nothing for a few moments, still holding the phone up to her ear.

Loki, who had come into the room, was looking at her, bewildered … questions on his face. He was still shirtless, his belt still unbuckled. His hair all deliciously askew. _God, he looks so completely fuckable, _she thought._ Maybe we have a little time …_

There was a knock on the door, which made both of them jump. Probably Clint.

Darcy sighed. "Looks like we're going on a little trip."

Loki looked as if he could kill a motherfucker with his eyes. "Good. A place with no phones, I hope."

As soon as they got to New Orleans, she planned on turning her phone completely off for a little while, as she was pretty sure it would be destroyed if it rang again.

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AN2: If any of you don't know what "twerking" is exactly, or have never heard of "bounce" music, or Big Freedia and you'd like to learn, I put a link to a YouTube video on my profile. There's some great examples of twerking (not at all like Miley Cyrus) if you can make it to the end of the video. It's a lot of fun, and definitely a New Orleans thing, but I do realize that it's not for everyone.

Anyway, thanks for reading. Shoot me a line if you notice any glaring mistakes ... there are sure to be a few, as I'm not exactly feeling 100% ;-) Please review if you have the time. I have the best reviewers ever. Seriously, I love you. And I'm not just saying that because I'm sick in Mexico and maybe sort of hallucinating.


	18. Chapter 18

**AN: Back home, States-side! Thanks for all the well-wishes, y'all. And for the kind and amazing reviews. **

**Sorry for being such a tease in the last chapter ;-)**

**You know how I put an "M" rating on this fic for reasons? Well, this chapter is one of those reasons. Just a warning for all the peeps who are more comfortable reading the "T"s. **

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"So, what the fuck man?"

Darcy opened her door to Clint after she'd scrambled to put her clothes back together and throwing Loki's in his general direction. He had caught them and walked down the hallway where she figured he'd put them back on in her bedroom or bathroom.

"Sorry, Darcy … but I have my orders. Things aren't safe here."

She leaned in and whispered, "HYDRA?" Oops, she shouldn't have revealed that she'd known, damn drunkenness. Clint nodded though, not surprised she had found out somehow. She was a crafty little hacker.

Darcy panicked slightly. "What about Thor and Jane? What about you? How can I leave you guys?" She wanted to take Loki to New Orleans to meet with Miss Ramona, to see if her mentor could help him, but she also didn't want to leave her friends, the people she cared about so dearly, if they were in danger. Perhaps she could help.

"Darcy. It's cool. I'm here and we have Thor, we have Tony … and a few of his new suits, one in particular that him and Bruce have been working on, that's a total beast. And I probably don't need to remind you that we have a Hulk." Darcy giggled and Hawkeye went on, "you have a very important mission … it's imperative that he doesn't fall into their hands. If things go to hell, they can't know he's alive. They can't get ahold of him … who knows what they would do to him if they found him." Clint lowered his voice to barely a whisper, "and who knows if he'd turn."

Darcy shook her head. "If he turned, he'd never get his magic back."

"That doesn't make me feel better, Darcy. To think that he's only being cooperative in order to get his magic back … what happens if he _does_ get it back somehow? What then? Is he with us … or against us. We can't fight both him _and_ HYDRA."

"You don't think he's different somehow? You know, from the last time? I mean, he even _looks_ different. Something's happened."

He looked at her sternly. "So I heard, but it could all just be an act, Darcy."

"Clint." She put a hand on his shoulder. "His _mom_ died. He helped to save the fucking _entire_ universe."

"I know. And I want to believe that he's cool. The guy can actually be a lot of fun, and it seriously weirds me out to admit that … but he's the fucking God of Mischief and _Lies_ … never forget that." They were still whispering, their heated discussion barely audible.

"Yeah." Darcy was reminded of an acquaintance. "But I know someone else like him. Mischievous … tricky, but without all the baggage. He's got a heart. A good one. It's possible to be a like, naughty by nature … and still be a good person." She couldn't help but laugh after saying it.

"Are you drunk?" Clint thought she seemed a little more "off" than usual.

"Maybe a little … you knew Thor and Jane wanted to take us out."

"Right." He then wondered who she was talking about before. "Who do you know … another god from another planet?"

She waved it away. "Just someone I know from back home …"

"Darcy. You're not a shrink. You're an agent. Do not make the mistake of thinking you can save this guy."

"Believe me, I'm not." She looked him in the eyes, deliberately. "I'm not sure I even believe in whatever the concept of 'redemption' is … we're all just projecting and reacting to what's happened to us in our lives … and some of us cope better than others. And he obviously has some serious coping issues. None of us are perfect all the time. But if he's going to be 'saved', or whatever that means, he's ultimately going to have to save himself. No one else can do it for him."

Clint nodded. "Alright then. That I can get behind … but don't go thinking for a second that he might not betray you … that he might not betray _all_ of us. It's what he _does_."

Darcy took a deep breath. "He won't. Just trust me." She couldn't tell Clint exactly why, but she had never felt danger or menace from Loki. Whenever he'd tried to frighten her, he'd been a lot of bark and no bite.

Barton sighed. "Fine. Maybe he won't betray _you_ … and you I trust. All of us here trust you … which is why you're being given this task. Now. Come on, we've gotta go. Pack a few things." He finally walked all the way into her apartment … freeing them from talking in heated whispers.

"Okay. What are you going to tell Jane?"

"That you're safe."

"You're not going to tell her where we're going?"

"Nope. Only four people will know. You, Loki, Fury, and myself … as soon as you tell me. The less people know, the better. You never know how someone can extract information."

Darcy nodded weakly. "I understand. How long are we going to be gone?"

"Hopefully just a few days."

She was beginning to feel better about it. For whatever reason, she trusted the Avengers that were left in New York and she trusted the ones that were in DC. There wasn't much that could get past them … and she and Loki could just go on a nice little mini-vacay to the Big Easy. Perfect.

"Loki?" she called to the guy she had been making out with only minutes before.

"Yes?" He walked out from the shadows of her hallway, having never put his shirt back on … or even bothering to buckle his damn belt.

Seeing this, and still being pretty tipsy from her night of shotgunning beers, she laughed, thinking that of all the ways she could have seen her job at S.H.I.E.L.D. working out, this sure as hell wasn't it. For one, she had began the month of October hoping beyond hope that it would have been _Clint_ walking around her apartment shirtless with his belt unbuckled … and for two, as far as she was concerned, Loki was dead and she was glad of it. Now, things were turned upside down, inside out, and sideways.

"Clint Barton." Loki said, as he slinked into the living room, having only put his hair back into place. "I assume you'll be piloting us to whatever destination you're sending us to? May I ask why we've been so brazenly interrupted this evening? Why this is so imperative?" He was still obviously pissed off.

If Clint was surprised by Loki's naked torso, he gave no reaction, which is probably what Loki was hoping for … that he'd be made to feel uncomfortable. "We're under threat," Hawkeye said cooly. "It will probably turn out to be nothing, but we're not taking any chances."

"A threat from what, exactly? If I'm to be spirited away in the middle of the night, I think I deserve to know."

Clint answered him without really answering him. "You can thank yourself actually, because that guy you found, was a spy. If he had the chance to report your existence before we caught him, even if it was just your alias and not your actual identity, you could be in some serious trouble. Believe it or not, it's in your best interest to leave with Darcy."

Loki stared at him for several seconds and Hawkeye didn't back down … he wasn't lying, but he also wasn't telling the whole truth. But he was also sure that Hawkeye never told the whole truth. None of these "Avengers" did … except for perhaps Steve Rodgers, and it would probably lead to his downfall one of these days.

"Very well." Loki said blandly.

Darcy reached over and poked him in the stomach, half because she was still drunk and wanted to pet him, and half because she hoped it would irritate him, the cheeky bastard. "Go pack a few things," she ordered.

He looked at her, surprised that she had touched him in such a familiar manner in front of her work colleague. Whatever she had so heatedly been discussing with Barton beforehand, it apparently hadn't changed her feelings for him.

He nodded and left to go across the hall, forgetting his discarded t-shirt he'd left in her bedroom.

Ten minutes later and they were on the roof of Stark tower, each with a small bag packed, about to climb into a helicopter … and saying goodbye to Tony, Bruce, and Pepper. Thor and Jane were doing something else, or were asleep … or just simply not told, since it probably would have been impossible to convince Thor to let Loki leave without him.

As Darcy was about to step into the copter, Tony gave her a quick hug and spoke into her ear … "I wish I had some killer advice, but all I can think of is … be careful? Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

She laughed. "That doesn't leave much."

"No, it doesn't. But that's what I mean. Do whatever it takes to keep yourself safe, kiddo."

She nodded.

"We need you back here. You're the only one that can do Kanye justice at karaoke."

"I'll come back and we'll do some Yeezus together."

"It's a date."

She also gave Pepper and Bruce a hug before being lifted away from Stark Tower and off to the airport where a S.H.I.E.L.D. jet would take the journey south. As she watched her friend's forms get smaller and smaller, she hoped that New York had nothing to worry about and told herself there was so much power standing down there, waving goodbye … not to mention the God of Thunder, who was going to be very angry when he woke up in the morning, as well as Jane, renown scientist and all-around smart person.

While on the plane, where it was a bit less noisy than the helicopter, she made a call to Jules, who answered on the first ring, even though it was well past midnight. "HOOKER! You never called me back!"

"I know, HOE! I'm sorry, but I was … hung up." Loki began to look at her weird again, as he didn't quite understand their rather colorful terms of endearment for each other.

Darcy shot him an annoyed glance. "I'm calling to tell you that we're actually on our way."

She held the phone away from her ear for several seconds as Jules screamed in excitement on the other end. "Oh my _GAWD_, bitch! We're gonna to have so much fun! It's fucking Halloween! We're taking you _out_."

Darcy was exhausted just thinking about trying to keep up with her friends, who at this point, were much more used to the New Orleans nightlife than she was. She had been assisting work-a-holic scientists and learning to be a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent for the past few years. "I'm going to need sleep first. I haven't slept in days … and I'm currently sobering up from kind of a crazy evening."

"Shit, girl, not sleeping in days? There's only one good excuse for that. What have you been doing? Or rather, WHO?" She laughed.

"No one. Sadly."

"Hmmm … well, we'll give you a little time to sleep. A _little_. But you're coming home! You can sleep later, sometime next week!"

"I know it's late, but can you or Scott pick us up from the airport? I don't really want to call my dad."

"Bitch, we'll both be there, of course … you need a room?"

"Can he swing it? I know it's a pretty big weekend."

"Shit, he'll kick someone out for you … you know he would."

"Thanks. And uh … " Darcy tried to think of how to talk about Miss Ramona helping Loki with his little space-demon problem with him right there and listening to their phone conversation.

It was as if Jules read her mind. "You don't have to say it. We'll talk later. A little fun first … then the serious stuff, alright?"

"Perfect. I love you."

Loki looked at Darcy and mulled over who this person was that she called these horrible names, and then said she loved them. It seemed to be the same person she talked to while they were at the salon, the only person she'd ever spoken of love to. He guessed it was her friend Jules. Julia Jupiter from her next-of-kin file, perhaps? When she talked to her on the phone, it seemed as if Darcy momentarily became completely relaxed, her authentic self and nothing else. He wondered if _he_ could bring that out in her one day … although he questioned if her friends in New York had convinced her to doubt him. He wouldn't exactly blame her if she did. For why else would they send him out of town if they didn't doubt him? He was used to it at this point.

Darcy closed her eyes after she got off the phone, fatigued, developing a headache. She had way too many U-turns thrust upon her during the evening and into the night. Loki, not quite as affected by tiredness as she, being Asgardian, wondered if she would have gone through with sleeping with him if she hadn't been drinking. It's something that might have bothered him, even though she herself had suggested such an encounter after sending her mother off to Atlanta … but then her emotions had been heightened.

He shook his head. It had been ages since he'd second-guessed himself so much over a woman … he was thinking like a schoolboy. They were going away together, perhaps even sharing the same living space … things would happen on their own, naturally.

When they landed, Clint gave her a few parting instructions before flying back to New York, keeping her on the plane for a few minutes while Loki walked down the steps to the tarmac. "Don't use Loki's alias anymore," he said. "Think of something else. Also, here … this is the remote that sets off his ankle monitor." He took out a small and sleek black square. There was a safety switch and a small button that set it off. "You put an ankle monitor on him?" Darcy asked angrily.

Clint raised his brows. "Of course, that was always part of the agreement. Don't look at me like that, Darcy … it's not inhumane. He _did_ kind of destroy our base in New Mexico and unleash an alien invasion on New York City … he deserves to at least have an ankle monitor. Now, the GPS has been dismantled because we don't need the tracking information getting into the wrong hands somehow … but if you press this button, it will tase him and it will render him immobile." He smiled. "Zap him if he tries to bail."

Darcy shook her head, but smiled slightly. Clint would only be too excited to use this thing, reformed Loki or no. "Is this the only remote?"

"No." He grinned. "I have an app on my phone that will tase him, no matter how far away. It'll double the effect if we do it at the same time … so if he becomes violent, text or call me, I'll be happy to help."

Darcy rolled her eyes. "Thanks, but I seriously doubt it will come to that."

"Hope so. Sort of." He suddenly lost his smile. "Good luck, hopefully it'll just be a little vacation and everything can go back to normal in a few days." He stuck his hand out to shake hers, but she reached up to hug him instead. "Good luck, Agent Barton."

"Good luck, Agent Lewis." He gave her a squeeze back.

After walking Darcy down the stairs, surprisingly, Hawkeye held his hand out to Loki … "take care."

Loki shook Clint's hand. "And you as well."

As Darcy walked towards the gate to the airport, Hawkeye said, "take care of her too."

Loki nodded. "Of course."

As the two walked across the tarmac to enter the airport, Darcy breathed in the familiar humid and thick air of New Orleans. Home. Even at night, and even in October, when the usual sweltering summers have mercifully ended, you could still feel the heaviness in the air, rendering everything slightly slower than usual. It was the perfect place for just taking your damn time, going with the flow. She needed a little bit of that.

After the journey through the airport and by the shops selling "I Love NOLA" t-shirts, hot sauce, and Cafe du Monde coffee, she saw two figures off in the distance and past security who were standing, waiting for her and waving furiously. Darcy broke into a full fun with her backpack almost slipping off her shoulder, in order to be reunited with them, reaching Jules first. The two were the same height, and wrapped their arms around each other tightly, with Scott's tall form coming right up behind, embracing both of them with his long arms. Loki walked up to the elated threesome, who seemed to be completely unaware of his presence, totally wrapped up in each other.

The girl, presumably Jules, was a striking beauty, with large dark eyes and a head full of waist-length thin dark braids, with the ends dyed her signature color of purple. The boy, presumably Scott, was as tall as Loki, and had the same wispy brown hair from his childhood photograph, but it was now artfully and seemingly effortlessly sticking up on top of his head, with the sides shaved. From where Loki could see, it looked as though he'd grown to be quite the good-looking lad, with olive skin and hazel eyes … which suddenly found his.

He momentarily felt as if he was an intruder on this happy regathering, but as soon as Scott noticed him, he flashed Loki a wide sincere smile full of white teeth, as if he was happy to see him. It was a most unusual occurrence for strangers to be happy to see him on Midgard. He was used to them screaming and running in the opposite direction.

"Darcy, darling!" Scott straightened up, letting go of the girls, and glided over to where Loki was standing nearby. "Is this the new one?" He looked him up and down while grinning.

"Don't tease him, Scott," Darcy commanded as she entangled herself from her other friend. "We've both had a long night." She walked up, took the boy's hand, and squeezed. "Loki, this is Scott." She looked over to the girl. "And this is Jules."

"Hellllooo," Scott said, holding out his hand to Loki. "You realize that she's mine though, right? I've asked her to marry me at least five times and she always refuses … but one of these days, she'll accept." He said with a wink.

Loki looked utterly confused. Darcy laughed. "Don't listen to him … we'd obviously never satisfy each other, he just wants to be able to inherit his grandfather's millions."

Scott flashed his magnetic smile. "Yes, and in order to marry in the great state of Louisiana, which is a stipulation that the old bastard threw in his will, it has to be to a woman, sadly." He looked at Darcy. "But don't worry, I'd let you have as many affairs as you wanted."

"Hmmmm, no. Ask Jules again."

"He just asked me again last Friday … ain't gonna happen." Jules waved a finger at Scott and then turned to give her attention to Loki. "It's nice to finally meet you." She reached up and gave Loki a small hug and a light peck on the cheek, who then instinctively flinched backward. The three friends snickered.

"Don't worry, Loki … it's just how people greet each other here sometimes," Darcy instructed.

Loki was pleased that Jules and Scott seemed to be genuinely glad for him to be there, but he still felt awkward and hated that it showed. "Ah. Forgive me. I was just getting used to the customs of New York, and now it seems that I must grow familiar with the customs of another region."

Jules laughed. "You'll probably need a little time." She patted him on the shoulder. "If there's something that New Orleans does well, it's having customs."

As the four of them started to walk toward the exit doors … Loki leaned over and whispered in Darcy's ear. "Should they know my real name?"

She nodded. "Don't worry," she said softly back. "I trust them with my life completely, and besides … we can't lie to each other. We're … connected."

Jules heard the exchange. "Yeah, hooker, and even more so now." She looked back at the God of Mischief with a knowing smile.

Scott interjected, having pity on Darcy. "Come on, you look ravishing as usual, but exhausted, sweetheart." He motioned towards the direction of his car. "Let's get you to your room." He knew that she had obviously not let Loki in on some of the more finer points of their connected relationship. He wanted to give her the chance to figure out exactly what she wanted to tell him … be it the whole story, or a scaled down version of it. Withholding truth or telling lies had never been Darcy's style, but she had always needed time to do things in her own way.

"You were able to get something for us?" Darcy had been hoping that she could get a room at one of Scott's family's hotels instead of having to stay with her dad or siblings, or having to crash on one of her friend's couches. "Yes ma'am." He said. "We had a very nice room open up just today at the Marie Antoinette that I've been trying to get rid of … it was supposed to house a few gentlemen for a bachelor party, but apparently the wedding was called off … so, no need for said party."

"Damn. That sucks."

Scott grinned. "Exactly. I talked to the bride personally … she called to cancel the reservation. Apparently her best friend was the one doing the sucking."

"Oooo. Ouch."

"I _know_." Scott then put an arm around Darcy and Loki, leading them through the parking lot. Loki noted that so far, these new southerners had been openly affectionate and a bit touchy-feely. Darcy seemed to have more of a reserve about her. He wondered what had made her different.

As they climbed into Scott's Passat, and then headed onto the freeway leading away from the airport, he put on a song familiar to Jules and Darcy. "Remember this?" He laughed. He turned up "It Was A Good Day", one of their earliest karaoke ventures.

After a few lines of the song, they were all rapping along to Ice Cube … all except Loki, of course, who had never heard such ridiculous compositions before in his life.

"_Finally got a call from the girl I wanna dig out_

_Hooked it up for later as I hit the door_

_Thinkin' will I live another twenty-four_

_I gotta go 'cause I got me a drop top_

_And if I hit the switch, I can make the aaaaasss drop_

_Had to stop, at a red light_

_Lookin' in my mirror, not a jacker in sight_

_And everything is alright_

_I got a beep from Kim and she can fuck alllllll night_"

Driving through the suburbs on the way to the French Quarter, Darcy sat back and closed her eyes, for the moment not thinking about New York, S.H.I.E.L.D., HYDRA, Loki's space-demon, or even the seriously hopped-up sexual tension between her and the alien-god she happened to be sitting next to. Nope, for now she was just happy to be singing along to one of their favorite old-school rap songs, back with two of her most favorite people on the planet.

"_No helicopter looking for a murder_

_Two in the mornin' got the Fatburger_

_Even saw the lights of the Goodyear Blimp_

_And it read, "Ice Cube's a pimp"_

_Drunk as hell but no throwin' up_

_Half way home and my pager still blowin' up_

_Today I didn't even have to use my A.K._

_I got to say it was a good day_"

As Scott pulled off the expressway and began to wind his way through the centuries-old narrow streets, Darcy smiled from the back seat. Even in the middle of the night, people were still out, ordering drinks in the bars that never closed. Reveling in the closeness to Halloween, already in costume, not that New Orleanians ever needed much of a reason to leave their houses in costume.

Scott parked in his highly-coveted spot in the exclusive lot next to the hotel, which was one of his family's nicest ones … nestled in the lower French Quarter, among the creole cottages and French and Spanish influence alive in the European-style architecture ... and where it was a little quieter and residential, a little less crowded than the crazier end of Bourbon St.

Darcy's friends helped them find where she and Loki would be staying, in a rather elaborate antique-bedecked room on the top floor of an antebellum building. "You pretty much have your own corner here, so feel free to be as loud as you want," Scott said as he pointed out a living area with flat-screen TV hidden in an antique hutch … a lavish bathroom with a gigantic custom clawfoot tub and mirrors everywhere … and a master bedroom containing a balcony and a four-poster king-sized bed with a canopy and mosquito netting. Darcy raised her eyebrow at that.

"What?" Scott shrugged. "It's for effect, tourists love that shit. Old New Orleans … don't want to catch the yellow fever." He winked.

Jules piped in, "alright, girlfriend … you look like you're going to fall asleep where you stand. Get some rest. We have a surprise for you tomorrow! We're picking you up at around 11, aaaiiight?"

Darcy was so tired that she could only nod. "Aight." Her friends left in a flurry of quick hugs and kisses. She barely noticed the eyes and knowing glances they were giving Loki as they left the room Scott had given them, who knew full well that it only had one bed and mirrors all over the fucking bathroom with that huge tub. She would have words with him tomorrow for being so presumptuous, when she wasn't so exhausted.

She dropped down her bag, walked over to the bed and took her belt off while stepping out of her shoes and socks. Next she slid off her jeans. She then unhooked her bra from inside her shirt and reached through her sleeves to push off the straps, then slipped it off … and dropped it on the ground. She was left standing in only her peasant top and rainbow-striped underwear, and she couldn't care less how strange it must look. She was too tired to worry about proper P.J.s.

Loki watched as she peeled away all the pieces of clothing that would have made sleep uncomfortable … then she tiredly drew back the sheets and climbed inside the bed.

"Loki," she said softly. "Come here." She rolled onto her side while clutching a pillow to her.

He was relieved that he wasn't expected to sleep on the couch and decided to follow suit. He took off his shoes and jeans, leaving him in a t-shirt and boxers ... and he climbed in beside her. Loki scooted up to her back and into a spooning position as he put his arm around her. She was already half-asleep but threaded her fingers through his before nodding off completely.

They both slept better than they had in a long time. Weeks for Darcy … years for Loki.

* * *

XXXXXXXXXXX

_Darcy knew that she'd dream in the in-between as soon as she closed her eyes in New Orleans, so she wasn't surprised when she found herself back in her grandmother's backyard, underneath the swaying flowering trees. This time it was night outside and the stars were impossibly bright, the moon sparkling through the branches as if it was a living, breathing, thing._

_"You're home." Ivy said, laying next to her, her curls looking silver in the moonlight._

_"Sort of." Darcy closed her eyes and felt the palpable and preternatural breeze on her body. "Never really felt like I had a real home."_

_"You know that's not true."_

_"I've had so many places where I've hung my hat, Ivy."_

_"But this is where you grew up. It will always be your home … even if you leave again for a hundred years."_

_"It _does_ feel like home." Darcy sighed._

_"He can be home for you too."_

_Darcy rolled her eyes. "Don't do that."_

_"Honey, you don't have all the time in the world to be in denial. Take it from me. The only thing you're ever guaranteed is the moment you're in. Right now."_

_"Hn."_

_"I'm not about to let you get away with all your bullshit here."_

_"Stop."_

_"You deserve love. The real thing. You both do."_

_"Gonna puke … and that's really sad, because it's really pretty here in-between worlds."_

_"Sooner than later, you're going to have to overcome that."_

_"What?"_

_"That defense mechanism you do. How you get all cringey when things get too sentimental for you. It doesn't make you a weak person to surrender to it. Quite the opposite, actually."_

_"I know that. It's why I can't do it. I'm not strong … I'm getting weaker."_

_"Bullshit."_

_Darcy was happy that one was still able to say cuss words in the afterlife … and that God didn't like, frown upon that and send you directly to someplace much less beautiful as soon as you said something like "bullshit"._

_"So what, Ivy … do you know what you're suggesting here? That I fall for the man who tried to enslave our world? A man who has betrayed his family and his realm?"_

_"Have _you_ betrayed him?"_

_"No."_

_"That's the secret to these gods of mischief. To men like him. If they feel as if you're loyal to them, they're yours until the end. Betray them … and Hell hath no fury."_

_Darcy smiled. "And you know all the gods now?"_

_She chuckled. "They're not really gods … they're just manifestations of types of energy. They can direct the flow of their energy."_

_"You sound like Jane with your talk of energy."_

_"Well, when you're in the non-physical, you're pure energy … you understand it, you can see it …. without eyes. But your god is different. He's a physical being from a different realm ... and his people have discovered ways of harnessing energy that our people haven't discovered yet. And their unique evolution has made them much stronger than us."_

_Ivy locked eyes on Darcy. "But because of their physical strength, they take much for granted. Our frailty gives us our own power. We know how to cherish. How to love unconditionally. How to appreciate. His brother understands this now. He was humbled. This is what makes him elevated … even though truth be told, he's guilty of crimes that are just as bad as your god of mischief's, and yet is called an unequivocal hero."_

_"So is that what has to happen for Loki to get his powers back? He has to do some kind of self-sacrificing humble-pie gesture like Thor? Cause I don't see that happening anytime soon."_

_"No. Not this time. Loki has been humbled already."_

_"When?"_

_"I'm sure you'll soon see."_

_So that was all the info she was getting on that particular subject …_

_"How are you?" Darcy asked._

_Ivy grinned. "I am well. You know that I am … you never need to ask me that." She reached over and touched her friend's face. "I just wish that my friends could open their eyes and see that the world is theirs."_

_"The world is ours?"_

_"All you need to do is follow what makes you happy. The trick is to not resist what makes you happy."_

_"Thanks, Yoda."_

_Ivy shrugged. "The utmost compliment, I'll take that as."_

_"As you should, Master."_

_"Now, you should listen to me … wake up." Ivy seemed as if she was looking off into the distance, a sly smile slowly forming on her face. "Wake up."_

_"Why?"_

_"Bitch, just wake up … and remember. It's okay, you know."_

Darcy closed her eyes in the in-between. In the space between spaces … between sleep and awake … where you still remember dreaming.

"What's okay?" She asked, languidly.

"Mmmmmm."

Darcy felt vibrations on her lower stomach as Loki kissed the skin around her tattoo … he had pulled her shirt up to bare her midsection and was hovering over her.

She could definitely think of worse ways to wake up.

Somehow, she had made it onto her back in her sleep, but he wasn't taking too many liberties, only revealing parts of her that she'd already shown to him. She instinctively opened her thighs and he immediately took the offer, lowering himself down so that his bottom-half could be cradled between her legs.

He began to nudge her shirt up with his nose and Darcy decided to help him out, reaching down to slip it over her head with as much finesse as possible, as it was kind of hard to tug your shirt off while you're flat on your back. She was suddenly completely aware of her surroundings, no longer in-between states, arousal having knocked out all the fuzziness of sleep … and she realized that she'd totally bared her breasts to him in the daylight. The sun was coming through the french windows that led to the balcony beside the bed they happened to be sharing. There was no darkness or mood lighting to hide in … everything was out in the open.

Loki took the offering with relish, groaning as he felt her soft flesh for the first time, his hands caressing, then squeezing gently, nothing covering … no cotton, no lace … only smooth skin, and his hips naturally bucked into hers as he set his mouth to a true feast, taking a nipple between his lips, flicking over it with his tongue, lightly testing how she liked teeth brushing up against them … the intense sighs she was making, told him that she liked it very much. Fucking Helheim, she was beautiful. He was utterly bewitched.

Just his tongue alone on her nipple had made her body completely ready for whatever he wanted to do to her, and could have quite possibly even made her climax, or at least close to it, with how hopelessly turned on she was at the moment.

But she needed to ask one question. "Mmmm … Loki, what time is it?"

He released her right nipple after giving her a playfully strong bite, raising himself up so that they were face to face. "I do not care." He then lowered himself back down to kiss her properly, their tongues exploring as they began a slow and lazy rhythm with their mouths and bodies. Darcy realized that she was now only in panties while he was still in his t-shirt and boxers. She remedied the shirt problem immediately as she tugged on it and he sat up for a second and scrambled to pull it the rest of the way over his head.

She hadn't had this good of a look at his naked chest the night before, through drunkenness and darkness, but now in broad daylight she could appreciate just how beautiful the lines of his body were. He was long and lanky, but well-muscled … his pale skin was smooth and cool to the touch, with a light patch of chest hair between his pecs … she noted that Frost Giants did indeed have nipples, something she remembered wondering from before, and was happy to find him completely human-looking, with all the right parts and all the right reactions. One part in particular, rock-hard and rather prominent, and rubbing up against her through two very thin layers of clothing.

His naked upper-body pressed against her naked breasts was making her sink further and further into a state of pure lust and she gladly wanted to follow her instincts, but before totally surrendering to the moment, she breathily said, "Loki … remember, they're coming to get us at 11, they said. What time is it?"

He raised himself up again and looked her in the eyes. "I told you, I don't care … let them wait outside." He kissed her cheek, moving down to her neck. "But it _is_ nearly 11," he said against her skin, his voice lowered to that arousing baritone of his. "It doesn't matter though … because I can let no more time pass without hearing your sweet voice as you come, and I feel your body completely shudder and then still beneath me."

_Damn, Silvertongue knew how to talk._

He moved down, kissing her collarbone, her shoulder, then laid light kisses on her breasts again, traveling further … to her stomach and finally to the edge of her panties. "Don't worry … it won't take too long," he said, rather smugly, a relaxed smile on his lips. The new couple moved easily together, like old lovers instead of strange bedfellows … as if they already knew each other's bodies, instead of exploring their most intimate regions for the first time.

Darcy would have rolled her eyes at his arrogance if she'd had control over the use of the muscles in her face, but they seemed to only be able to convey heady desire and a build-up of sweet delicious tension. "You're certainly sure of yourself."

"Hnnn … always." He began to tug her rainbow-striped panties down her hips.

"But what about you?" She knew what he was about to do, and it would only lead to him being even more frustrated if it was all they were able to accomplish before heading out for the day.

"I assure you, this _is_ for both of us." He then sat up temporarily to slide the fabric down and she had to close her legs to allow him to get the panties all the way off. She was all of a sudden completely and totally nude. When he nudged back between her thighs, Darcy felt him pause. She looked up to find his bright blue-green eyes staring straight at her.

"Um. Loki?" It wasn't exactly the reaction one hopes for when revealing your naked self … a look of stunned puzzlement.

But his devious smile slowly crept upon his lips. "I was told that Midgardian women never ceased to surprise … and yet here I am, amazed again and again." He brushed his hand over the smoothness between her legs.

She giggled and yet moaned at the same time. "Oh … yeah, some of us wax."

He bent his head to taste the smoothness with his lips and then his tongue. The initial contact and tender pressure against such a sensitive area made her cry out, and he gave her little time to ease into the sensation. He briefly teased, circling her clit, then lapped at the slick cluster of nerves, establishing an unhurried rhythm and pattern. He could torture her thoroughly later … for now, he just wanted to feel her climax, as being patient in the recent past had only come back to bite him on the ass.

Darcy's breathing became labored and as the tension grew and grew, her hips intuitively rose up to meet the pressure of his tongue. She needed something to grab onto with her hands in order to ground herself, so she ran her fingers through his hair. After a while, she was afraid of grabbing on too tight, so she settled for clutching at the sheets with her fists.

Just as she eased back and lost herself in the building sensation, he gently slid a finger, then two, inside, eliciting another cry at the feel of him rubbing her slick and heated walls, finding just the right spot as he gently pushed upwards into that "come here" movement. He then added just a touch more pressure and speed with his mouth and she was just on the cusp, the edge. One breath, two breaths, and the orgasm hit in a sensorial explosion, and a surprised moan on her lips from the intensity of it. She didn't hold back any loud sighs as he drew it out with soft licks and nudges, expertly helping her to come back down.

Loki got his wish … complete stillness after a rather powerful orgasm. Le petite mort. The little death. She couldn't move as her skin tingled and every single bit of tension in her body was released as if it flowed right out from her fingertips … after a little while she could only manage a languid, "Fuuuuuuuuuck."

He had relaxed on top of her, head resting on her stomach, his cheek feeling the faint magical fingerprint that was always barely humming just below the surface of her tattoo. He was sure that he was the only lover she'd had that could sense it. The feel of magic made him giddy and all he wanted to do was bury himself into the wet and tight heat that he'd felt with his fingers, but he waited for her to make the next move.

He felt her stomach muscles clench as she sat up slightly and felt on the nightstand for her phone. "What are you doing?" He asked. Was she seriously calling someone now?

"Shhhh," was all Darcy said back. She'd heard the faint vibration of a text message, as she'd turned the sound off the night before … and wanted to see if it was Jules and Scott, coming to fetch them as promised.

"_We're downstairs, eating some late breakfast in the lobby. Should we come up_?" Scott had texted.

"_Don't you dare. Give me at least 15 to 20 minutes_." She lettered back.

All that was returned was a ":-D" and "thumbs up" emoji.

She could tell that Loki was doing a bit of pouting at the attention she had just paid to her phone, so she took him by surprise and rolled over, ending with her straddling him. Darcy smiled down and laughed, flushed and radiant from being taken care of so well. "You're wearing your Green Bay Packers boxers."

He had liked wearing the underthings that she'd bought for him. "Are they a successful sports team?" He grinned.

"Sure. With quite possibly the best quarterback in the NFL. And one with a rabid fanbase. They won the Superbowl a few years ago."

"Sounds appropriate, then."

"They're gonna have to come off though." Loki had no problem with that … he lifted his hips as she tugged his green shorts with the big "G" across the crotch down and out of the way.

This time, it was her turn to stare in surprise … as what she had only previously _felt_ as something hard and rather large, was now sprung free from all previous confinement. He was straight-up huge. It was a little intimidating, if she was being honest … and though she wasn't unaccustomed to the well-endowed, this one looked to be a little different. Uncircumcised. Made sense … the practice seemed to be an American tradition, and Asgard certainly wasn't America.

_Okay, this is cool_, she thought, as she flashed him a crooked sly smile before gripping him at the base, rendering the silky skin there taught. She then lowered her mouth onto him, kissing and exploring at first, and driving him crazy in the process, in his raw need for some sort of warm penetration. After a few moments of getting used to the shape and feel, she took him into her mouth as much as she could and he moaned powerfully, ending in a rather un-godlike whimper, or perhaps even a sob. He needed this so bad. It had been too long. So so long.

He rested his hands on her head as she began to move slowly up and down, gradually building up speed. His fingers threaded through her hair, lifting it from around her face after awhile, so that he could see those luscious lips stretched around his cock. At that point she looked up, locked eyes with him and it all almost ended there, as a wave of want, need and lust hit him hard in the chest at the sight of her watching him watch her, as she skillfully set to her work, finding an exquisite pattern with her tongue.

He closed his eyes, knowing he wasn't going to last long … and he didn't care. He found his hips were bucking subtly, meeting her mouth and his neck strained as he stretched back, about to come, about to spill. One breath, two breaths, and he made a deep, almost violent sound, as if someone reached into his chest and pulled his heart out with their bare hand ... but this wasn't pain, but a most fierce and vivid pleasure.

Darcy felt a surge of satisfaction at making the God of What the Fuck Ever come as hard as he did and took care to finish her work, swallowing his release and continuing to lick him softly like he did for her, as the orgasm ebbed.

She collapsed onto his chest, spent … _they don't call it a job for nothing_, she thought. When he could move again, he slowly brought his hands up to her head, cradling her next to him, running his fingers down her naked back.

"Good morning." She said.

He laughed, the feel from the vibrations making her cheek tingle on his chest. She loved the sound of his genuine and effortless laugh. "Good morning," he said. "What do your friends have planned for us today? I'm already loving this city of yours."

"Mmmm, they're downstairs having breakfast. Let's just lay here for a few more minutes."

"Yes. A few more minutes …"

An hour later, after trying to call Darcy several times, and realizing that her phone was on vibrate, Scott woke up the happy couple from their orgasm-induced sleep by blaring Pharrell Williams outside their door, with one of the complementary iHomes that went with the rooms.

After hurrying to get ready, Loki and Darcy opened the door to find Jules and Scott dancing to "Happy" up and down the hallway, trying to out-Pharrell each other, completely occupied like a couple of kids. Darcy couldn't help but join in and show off a few of her fly moves, excited to be with her friends that were just as silly as she was.

Loki suddenly understood where his new paramour got her spark. The three of them were patently insane. He couldn't help but smile a genuine smile.

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**AN2: So yeah, we're in the next phase. New Orleans. Are you happy? ;-) Sort of, maybe? **

**I put a few things on my profile for this chapter ... the Ice Cube song "It Was A Good Day", obviously this is where Darcy got her love for old-school rap songs and karaoke. Also, "Happy" by Pharrell ... cause it made them want to dance. Hell, it makes _me_ want to dance. **

**Much love! Please review if you have the time ... as always, it makes me a better writer, and this is what it's all about here. Hit me up if there are any glaring typos.  
**


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